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At least 181 records · Page 10

Structure and Interface Design Enable Stable Li-Rich Cathode

Li-rich layered-oxide cathodes have the highest theoretical energy density among all the intercalated cathodes, which have attracted intense interests for high energy Li-ion batteries. However, O3-structured layered-oxide cathodes suffer from a low initial Coulombic efficiency (CE), severe voltage fade, and poor cycling stability because of the continuous oxygen release, structural rearrangements due to irreversible transition-metal migration, and serious side reactions between the delithiated cathode and electrolyte. In this work, we report that these challenges are migrated by using a stable O2-structured Li 1.2 Ni 0.13 Co 0.13 Mn 0.54 O 2 (O2-LR-NCM) and all-fluorinated electrolyte. The O2-LR-NCM can restrict the transition metals migrating into the Li layer and the in situ formed fluorinated cathode electrolyte interphase (CEI) on the surface of the O2-LR-NCM from the decomposition of all-fluorinated electrolyte during initial cycles effectively restrains the structure transition, suppresses the O2 release, and thereby safeguards the transition metal redox couples, enabling a highly reversible and stable oxygen redox reaction. O2-LR-NCM in all fluorinated electrolytes achieves a high initial CE of 99.82 % and cycling CE of and cycling CE of >99.9%, high reversible capacity of 278 mAh/g, and high capacity retention of 83.3% after 100 cycles. The synergic design of electrolyte and cathode structure represents a promising direction to stabilize high-energy cathodes.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

High-throughput oxygen chemical potential engineering of perovskite oxides for chemical looping applications

Chemical looping (CL) represents a versatile, emerging strategy for sustainable chemical and energy conversion. Designing metal oxide oxygen carriers with suitable redox properties remains one of the most critical challenges to CL due to the considerably different thermodynamic property requirements for different applications. Here, taking SrFeO 3–δ as a base-structure, this study seeks to rationally substitute its A- and/or B-site cations to tailor the equilibrium oxygen partial pressure over 20 orders of magnitude. 2401 Sr x A 1–x Fe y B 1–y O 3–δ perovskite-phase structures were investigated using high-throughput density functional theory (DFT) and 227, 273 high-entropy perovskites were screened via machine learning (ML). This significantly expands the materials design space. While most of the compositions predicted are new and nonobvious, 19 previously reported oxygen carriers, with excellent redox properties, were correctly identified by the algorithm. Moreover, we experimentally demonstrated 15 new oxygen carriers with superior redox performance. These results support the effectiveness of the high-throughput approaches for accelerated materials discovery.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Evidence of redox cycling as a sub-mechanism in hydrogen production during ethanol steam reforming over La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3-x perovskite oxide catalysts

Ethanol steam reforming (ESR) is of societal interest. Here, in this work, experiments were conducted to ascertain if some of the H 2 is produced by a redox cycle involving H 2 O filling oxygen vacancies over reducible oxide catalysts. Redox cycling experiments were performed over La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3-x (100) in ultra-high vacuum. It was found that H 2 was produced from redox cycling with alternating ethanol and water exposures over La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3-x (100), with both half-cycles occurring at temperatures ≤800 K. In the first half-cycle, ethanol ‘directly’ reduced the surface to create oxygen vacancies (not by a CO intermediate), and in the second half-cycle water filled oxygen vacancies to make H 2 . The H 2 production during the water exposure has a half-cycle turnover frequency of >3.2 × 10 -2 molecules site -1 s -1 in the temperature range of 700–800 K, which is fast enough to be part of the ESR full catalytic cycle. Flowing both reactant gases together, ethanol and water, over La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3-x (100) and La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3-x powders significantly increases hydrogen production compared to pure ethanol. The results suggest that steady state ESR includes a sub-mechanism of ethanol ‘directly’ reducing the surface to create oxygen vacancy, and water filling oxygen vacancy to make some of the H 2 by a Mars van Krevelen type mechanism.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Constructing an Adaptive Heterojunction as a Highly Active Catalyst for the Oxygen Evolution Reaction

Electrochemical water splitting is of prime importance to green energy technology. Particularly, the reaction at the anode side, namely the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), requires a high overpotential associated with O—O bond formation, which dominates the energy-efficiency of the whole process. Activating the anionic redox chemistry of oxygen in metal oxides, which involves the formation of superoxo/peroxo-like (O 2 ) n – , commonly occurs in most highly active catalysts during the OER process. Here, a highly active catalyst is designed: electrochemically delithiated LiNiO 2 , which facilitates the formation of superoxo/peroxo-like (O 2 ) n – species, i.e., NiOO*, for enhancing OER activity. The OER-induced surface reconstruction builds an adaptive heterojunction, where NiOOH grows on delithiated LiNiO 2 (delithiated-LiNiO 2 /NiOOH). At this junction, the lithium vacancies within the delithiated LiNiO 2 optimize the electronic structure of the surface NiOOH to form stable NiOO* species, which enables better OER activity. This finding provides new insight for designing highly active catalysts with stable superoxo-like/peroxo-like (O 2 ) n – for water oxidation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Unlocking anionic redox activity in O3-type sodium 3 d layered oxides via Li substitution

Sodium ion batteries, because of their sustainability attributes, could be an attractive alternative to Li-ion technology for specific applications. However, it remains challenging to design high energy density and moisture stable Na-based positive electrodes. Here, we report an O3-type NaLi 1/3 Mn 2/3 O 2 phase showing anionic redox activity, obtained through a ceramic process by carefully adjusting synthesis conditions and stoichiometry. This phase shows a sustained reversible capacity of 190 mAh g -1 that is rooted in cumulative oxygen and manganese redox processes as deduced by combined spectroscopy techniques. Unlike many other anionic redox layered oxides so far reported, O3-NaLi 1/3 Mn 2/3 O 2 electrodes do not show discernible voltage fade on cycling. This finding, rationalized by density functional theory, sheds light on the role of inter- versus intralayer 3d cationic migration in ruling voltage fade in anionic redox electrodes. Another practical asset of this material stems from its moisture stability, hence facilitating its handling and electrode processing. Altogether, this work offers future directions towards designing highly performing sodium electrodes for advanced Na-ion batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Lunar and Planetary Science XXXV: Special Session: Oxygen in the Solar System, I

The Special Session: Oxygen in the Solar System, I, included the following reports:Oxygen in the Solar System: Origins of Isotopic and Redox Complexity; The Origin of Oxygen Isotope Variations in the Early Solar System; Solar and Solar-Wind Oxygen Isotopes and the Genesis Mission; Solar 18O/17O and the Setting for Solar Birth; Oxygen Isotopes in Early Solar System Materials: A Perspective Based on Microbeam Analyses of Chondrules from CV Carbonaceous Chondrites; Insight into Primordial Solar System Oxygen Reservoirs from Returned Cometary Samples; Tracing Meteorites to Their Sources Through Asteroid Spectroscopy; Redox Conditions Among the Terrestrial Planets; Redox Complexity in Martian Meteorites: Implications for Oxygen in the Terrestrial Planets; Implications of Sulfur Isotopes for the Evolution of Atmospheric Oxygen; Oxygen in the Outer Solar System; and On the Oxidation States of the Galilean Satellites: Implications for Internal Structures.

Source record↗

Elucidation of Active Oxygen Sites upon Delithiation of Li 3 IrO 4

Transformational increases in the storage capacity of battery cathodes could be achieved by tapping into the redox activity at oxide ligands in addition to conventional transition metal couples. However, the key signatures that govern such lattice oxygen redox (LOR) have not been ascertained. Li 3 IrO 4 has the largest reversible LOR, rendering it a unique model system. Here, X-ray spectroscopy and computational simulations reveal that LOR in Li 3 IrO 4 is selectively compensated via O sites with three lone pairs, which are activated by Li/Ir disorder. The two-electron LOR can be reversed to regenerate the initial state without unlocking competing bulk reactions observed in many other compounds. We uncover an intricate interplay between stoichiometry, O coordination, and nonbonding states in LOR and pinpoint spectroscopic signatures. This interplay is indispensable for designing materials with 3d metals that fulfill the promise of LOR to overcome the bottlenecks of current cathodes for future implementation in practical batteries.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

LaNi x Fe 1–x O 3 as flexible oxygen or carbon carriers for tunable syngas production and CO 2 utilization

The current study reports LaFe 1–x Ni x O 3–δ redox catalysts as flexible oxygen or carbon carriers for CO2 utilization and tunable production of syngas at relatively low temperatures (~700 °C), in the context of a hybrid redox process. Specifically, perovskite-structured LaFe 1–x Ni x O 3–δ with seven different compositions (x = 0.4–1) were prepared and investigated. Cyclic experiments under alternating methane and CO 2 flows indicated that all the samples exhibited favorable reactive performance: CH 4 and CO 2 conversions varied between 85% and 98% and 70–88%, respectively. While H 2 /CO ratio from Fe-rich redox catalysts was ~2.3:1 in the methane conversion step, Ni-rich catalysts produced a concentrated (~ 93.7 vol%) hydrogen stream via methane cracking. The flexibility of LaFe 1–x Ni x O 3–δ to produce syngas (or hydrogen) with tunable compositions was found to be governed by the iron/nickel (Fe/Ni) ratio. Redox catalysts with higher Fe contents act as a lattice oxygen carrier via chemical looping partial oxidation (CLPOx) of methane whereas those with higher Ni contents function as a carbon carrier via chemical looping methane cracking (CLMC) scheme. XRD analysis and temperature-programmed reactions revealed that both types of catalysts involve the formation of La 2 O 3 and Ni 0 /Ni-Fe phases under the methane environment. The ability to re-incorporate La 2 O 3 and Ni/Fe into a perovskite structure gives rise to oxygen-carrying capacity whereas stable Ni 0 or Ni/Fe phases would catalyze methane cracking without lattice oxygen exchange in the reaction cycles. Here, temperature programmed oxidation and Raman spectroscopy indicated the presence of graphitic and amorphous carbon species, which were effectively gasified by CO 2 to produce concentrated CO. Stability tests over LaFe 0.5 Ni 0.5 O 3 and LaNiO 3 revealed that the redox performance was stable over a span of 50 cycles.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Defect-Driven Oxide Transformations and the Electrochemical Interphase

The redox reaction pathway is crucial to the sustainable production of the fuels and chemicals required for a carbon-neutral society. Our society is becoming increasingly dependent on devices using batteries and electrolyzers, all of which rely on a series of redox reactions. The overall properties of oxide materials make them very well suited for such electrochemical and catalytic applications due to their associated cationic redox properties and the static site-adsorbate interactions. As these technologies have matured, it has become apparent that defect-driven redox reactions, defect-coupled diffusion, and structural transformations that are both time- and rate-dependent are also critical materials processes. This change in focus, considering not only redox properties but also more complex, dynamic behaviors, represents a new research frontier in the molecular sciences as they are strongly linked to device operation and degradation and lie at the heart of various phenomena that take place at electrochemical interfaces. Fundamental studies of the structural, electronic, and chemical transformation mechanisms are key to the advancement of materials and technological innovations that could be implemented in various electrochemical systems. In this Account, we focus on recent studies and advances in characterizing and understanding the dynamic redox evolution and structural transformations that take place in model perovskites and layered oxides under reactive conditions and correlate them with degradation mechanisms and operations in electrolyzers and batteries. We show that the dynamic evolution of oxygen vacancies and cationic migration in the surface or bulk occurs at the solid-liquid interface, using a combination of different synchrotron-based Xray spectroscopies and scattering probes. Detailed redox-structure-reactivity correlation studies show how defects and diffusion processes can be tailored to drive various physical and chemical transformations in electrolyzers and batteries. We also highlight a strong correlation between oxygen redox reactivity and structural reorganization in both model thin films and particles, helping to bridge the gap between fundamental studies of the reaction mechanism and device applications. Finally, on the basis of these findings, we discuss strategies to probe and tune the redox reactivity and structural stability of the redox-active oxide interphase toward devising efficient pathways for energy and chemical harvesting.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Mesoporous Amorphous High-Entropy Oxide Films: Unlocking Enhanced Redox Activity

High-entropy oxides (HEOs) represent a frontier in catalyst design via entropy-stabilized solid solution formation. However, their catalytic efficiency is limited by their bulk and dense nature. This work presents a strategic approach to tackle this challenge by fabricating mesoporous amorphous HEO films (MA-HEOF) possessing maximized active site utilization efficiency. The success hinges on the as-developed geometric engineering strategy via controlled deposition–precipitation to confine the amorphous HEO thin film on the surface of mesoporous channels. The unique structure of MA-HEOF was elucidated via microscopy-, X-ray-, and neutron-based techniques, which were manifested by enriched surface-activated lattice oxygen and enhanced redox activity, as confirmed by isotope studies. Besides, the MA-HEOF could stabilize and modulate the properties of integrated noble metal sites, enhancing their redox activity in diverse reactions. In conclusion, the approaches and insights presented herein provide guidance on maximizing the utilization efficiency of high-entropy materials in catalysis and beyond.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Data for: A Synoptic System for Capturing Ecosystem Control Points Across Terrestrial-Aquatic Interfaces

The investigation of how climate change and water level fluctuations impact variable and interconnected ecosystems, like the interfaces between terrestrial and aquatic environments, requires the collection and integration of many data types. We describe an integrative and autonomous environmental monitoring approach that uses environmental sensors and data loggers to monitor surface water, groundwater, soil, and vegetation changes and generate essential data for predictive models. We established the network at seven sites along the Chesapeake Bay and Lake Erie coastlines, including a large-scale flood manipulation experiment, collectively generating over three million observations per month. Such sensor networks hold great promise for tracking and comprehending environmental changes where land and water intersect. The sensor system and overall approach to sensor management that we have designed is intended to be widely accessible for research teams spanning in size from an individual investigator to large multi-institution projects. This dataset shows example data generated by the sensor network described above. Data output for data loggers connected to groundwater water quality sondes measuring dissolved oxygen, pH, oxidative redox potential (ORP), groundwater elevation, groundwater salinity and temperature, and groundwater elevation; replicate soil moisture and conductivity probes installed at 10 and 30 cm below the ground surface; rainfall and solar radiation; and mean sap flow from 8 replicate probes. Sensors are installed at upland forest (UP), wetlands (W), and transitional locations between these ecosystems (TR). Example datasets are from Goodwin Islands in the Chesapeake Bay and Portage River along the Lake Erie coastline.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗

Harbinger of hysteresis in lithium-rich oxides: Anionic activity or defect chemistry of cation migration

In this work, we present findings on the mechanisms of hysteresis in lithium-rich cathode oxides. It is generally reported that the energy inefficiency, observed during electrochemical cycling of Li-rich electrodes, is a direct result of anion redox processes. Similarly, the coupled phenomenon of cation migration has been cited as being a mere consequence of that process with no essential ramification to hysteresis. Such works, however, have only shown correlations and not causation. Specifically, studies that clearly preclude the complete absence of either anion redox or cation migration (down to defect-level concentrations) are not reported yet. Herein, we present first principles calculations and experimental data on a bespoke Li-rich system that is indubitably immune to oxygen activity but yet exhibits significant energy inefficiency. Additionally, the results directly implicate transition metal migration as the fundamental, sole process responsible for hysteresis in this material. This study is of particular importance to the design and development of new Li-rich materials aimed at eliminating the role of oxygen and enhancing the effective cationic redox contribution to the capacity and points out the essential need to develop materials devoid of transition metal migration to interstitial sites in both layered and disordered oxides alike.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Transition metal vacancy and position engineering enables reversible anionic redox reaction for sodium storage

Triggering the anionic redox reaction is an effective approach to boost the capacity of layered transition metal (TM) oxides. However, the irreversible oxygen release and structural deterioration at high voltage remain conundrums. Herein, a strategy for Mg ion and vacancy dual doping with partial TM ions pinned in the Na layers is developed to improve both the reversibility of anionic redox reaction and structural stability of layered oxides. Both the Mg ions and vacancies (□) are contained in the TM layers, while partial Mn ions (~1.1%) occupy the Na-sites. The introduced Mg ions combined with vacancies not only create abundant nonbonding O 2p orbitals in favor of high oxygen redox capacity, but also suppress the voltage decay originated from Na–O–□ configuration. The Mn ions pinned in the Na layers act as “rivets” to restrain the slab gliding at extreme de-sodiated state and thereby inhibit the generation of cracks. The positive electrode, Na 0.67 Mn 0.011 [Mg 0.1 □ 0.07 Mn 0.83 ]O 2 , delivers an enhanced discharge capacity and decent cyclability. This study provides insights into the construction of stable layered oxide positive electrode with highly reversible anionic redox reaction for sodium storage.

Cai, Congcong [Wuhan Univ. of Technology (China)]↗

High–Energy Earth–Abundant Cathodes with Enhanced Cationic/Anionic Redox for Sustainable and Long–Lasting Na–Ion Batteries

Layered iron/manganese-based oxides are a class of promising cathode materials for sustainable batteries due to their high energy densities and earth abundance. However, the stabilization of cationic and anionic redox reactions in these cathodes during cycling at high voltage remain elusive. Here, an electrochemically/thermally stable P2-Na 0.67 Fe 0.3 Mn 0.5 Mg 0.1 Ti 0.1 O 2 cathode material with zero critical elements is designed for sodium-ion batteries (NIBs) to realize a highly reversible capacity of ≈210 mAh g –1 at 20 mA g –1 and good cycling stability with a capacity retention of 74% after 300 cycles at 200 mA g –1 , even when operated with a high charge cut-off voltage of 4.5 V versus sodium metal. Combining a suite of cutting-edge characterizations and computational modeling, it is shown that Mg/Ti co-doping leads to stabilized surface/bulk structure at high voltage and high temperature, and more importantly, enhances cationic/anionic redox reaction reversibility over extended cycles with the suppression of other undesired oxygen activities. This work fundamentally deepens the failure mechanism of Fe/Mn-based layered cathodes and highlights the importance of dopant engineering to achieve high-energy and earth-abundant cathode material for sustainable and long-lasting NIBs.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

The Unexpected Role of Se VI Species in Epoxidations with Benzeneseleninic Acid and Hydrogen Peroxide

Abstract Benzeneperoxyseleninic acid has been proposed as the key intermediate in the widely used epoxidation of alkenes with benzeneseleninic acid and hydrogen peroxide. However, it reacts sluggishly with cyclooctene and instead rapidly decomposes in solution to a mixed selenonium–selenonate salt that was identified by X‐ray absorption and 77 Se NMR spectroscopy, as well as by single crystal X‐ray diffraction. This process includes a selenoxide elimination of the peroxyseleninic acid with liberation of oxygen and additional redox steps. The salt is relatively stable in the solid state, but generates the corresponding selenonic acid in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The selenonic acid is inert towards cyclooctene on its own; however, rapid epoxidation occurs when hydrogen peroxide is added. This shows that the selenonic acid must first be activated through further oxidation, presumably to the heretofore unknown benzeneperoxyselenonic acid. The latter is the principal oxidant in this epoxidation.

Sands, Kai N.↗

The Unexpected Role of Se VI Species in Epoxidations with Benzeneseleninic Acid and Hydrogen Peroxide

Abstract Benzeneperoxyseleninic acid has been proposed as the key intermediate in the widely used epoxidation of alkenes with benzeneseleninic acid and hydrogen peroxide. However, it reacts sluggishly with cyclooctene and instead rapidly decomposes in solution to a mixed selenonium–selenonate salt that was identified by X‐ray absorption and 77 Se NMR spectroscopy, as well as by single crystal X‐ray diffraction. This process includes a selenoxide elimination of the peroxyseleninic acid with liberation of oxygen and additional redox steps. The salt is relatively stable in the solid state, but generates the corresponding selenonic acid in the presence of hydrogen peroxide. The selenonic acid is inert towards cyclooctene on its own; however, rapid epoxidation occurs when hydrogen peroxide is added. This shows that the selenonic acid must first be activated through further oxidation, presumably to the heretofore unknown benzeneperoxyselenonic acid. The latter is the principal oxidant in this epoxidation.

Sands, Kai N.↗

Uptake of uranium by carbonate crystallization from reduced and oxidized hydrothermal fluids

This work evaluated the immobilization of uranium (U) through incorporation into calcite under reduced and oxidized conditions. We investigated how much U could be entrapped by calcite crystallizing in chloride solutions in autoclaves at temperatures from 162 to 300 °C. The oxidation state of U was set by controlling oxygen fugacity via redox buffers. Uranium was introduced into calcite growth media as a solid oxide compound or U aliquot. We found the uptake of tetravalent U by calcite is higher than that of hexavalent U by up to four orders of magnitude. Furthermore, we estimate that crystallization of a few mg of calcite immobilizes all dissolved U when 1 kg of solution is saturated with UO 2 under reduced hydrothermal conditions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Elucidating the role of surface species in CO oxidation catalyzed by boron nitride nanotube supported transition metal oxides

Boron nitride nanotube (BNNT) is considered a highly promising catalyst support due to its outstanding thermal stability and chemical inertness. These characteristics make BNNT an attractive alternative for high-temperature applications. However, most studies to date have focused on incorporating platinum group metals (PGMs) to achieve high activity. Although BNNT-supported PGM catalysts are highly effective, their scarcity and high cost hinder widespread use in industrial processes. In this study, BNNT-supported transition metal oxides (TMO x /BNNT; TM = Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu) catalysts were investigated, and CO oxidation was applied as a model reaction to evaluate their catalytic performance. Several characterization techniques, including SEM-EDX, TEM, SXRD, H 2 -TPR, and XPS, were employed to examine their physicochemical properties. Notably, the particle size of the metal oxides differed significantly depending on the metal type. This variation is primarily attributed to the inherent metal–support interactions and the thermodynamic stability of each oxide during synthesis. These properties also affected catalytic activity, and various parameters, such as oxygen mobility and redox behavior, played important roles in determining performance. Finally, in situ DRIFTS, CO-TPSR, reaction-order analysis, and 18 O 2 isotope-labeling experiment were used to investigate the reaction mechanism. In conclusion, the findings provide insights into the design of cost-effective BNNT-supported catalysts and highlight their potential applicability in oxidation reactions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗