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At least 37 records · Page 2

Importance of proton-coupled electron transfer in cathodic regeneration of organic hydrides

Electrochemical regeneration of organic hydrides is often hindered by the rapid dimerization of organic radicals produced as the first intermediates of these electrochemical transformations. Here, we utilize proton-coupled electron transfer to outcompete the undesired dimerization and achieve successful hydride regenerations of two groups of organic hydrides – acridines and benzimidazoles. An analysis of the critical factors that control the regeneration pathways of organic hydrides is demonstrated in this report.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Temperature Dependent Local Atomic Structure and Vibrational Dynamics of Barium Hydride and Calcium Hydride

Solid-state ionic conductors that exhibit pure ionic transport of hydride anions are rare. Here, we investigate two alkaline earth metal hydrides, barium hydride and calcium hydride, using neutron scattering techniques to understand how the local atomic environment plays a role in the diffusion of hydride ions. At high temperatures, barium hydride exhibits exceptional transport properties with ionic conductivities that are higher than those of many of the typical proton and oxide ion conductors in use today. Total neutron scattering and pair distribution function analysis reveal how a structural phase transition converts barium hydride from a modest ionic conductor into a fast ionic conductor through the introduction of disorder, deuterium site splitting, and dynamic structural fluctuations. Furthermore, neutron vibrational spectroscopy is employed to probe changes in the temperature evolution of the lattice dynamics and local energy landscape. These results improve our fundamental knowledge of the interplay between structure and dynamics governing a rare conduction process of hydride ions in solid-state materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Reversible Heterolytic Cleavage of the H-H Bond by Molybdenum Complexes: Controlling the Dynamics of Exchange Between Proton and Hydride

Controlling the heterolytic cleavage of the H-H bond of dihydrogen is critically important in catalytic hydrogenations and in the catalytic oxidation of H2. We show how the rate of reversible heterolytic cleavage of H2 can be controlled over nearly four orders of magnitude at 25 °C, from 2.1 × 103 s-1 to ≥107 s-1. Bifunctional Mo complexes, [CpMo(CO)(κ3-P2N2)]+ (P2N2 = 1,5-diaza-3,7-diphosphacyclooctane with alkyl/aryl groups on N and P), have been developed for heterolytic cleavage of H2 into a proton and a hydride, akin to Frustrated Lewis Pairs. The H-H bond cleavage is enabled by the basic amine in the second coordination sphere. The products of heterolytic cleavage of H2, Mo hydride complexes bearing protonated amines, [CpMo(H)(CO)(P2N2H)]+, were characterized by spectroscopic studies and by X-ray crystallography. Variable temperature 1H, 15N and 2-D 1H-1H ROESY NMR spectra indicated rapid exchange of the proton and hydride. The exchange rates are in the order [CpMo(H)(CO)(PPh2NPh2H)]+ > [CpMo(H)(CO)(PtBu2NPh2H)]+ > [CpMo(H)(CO)(PPh2NBn2H)]+ > [CpMo(H)(CO)(PtBu2NBn2H)]+ > [CpMo(H)(CO)(PtBu2NtBu2H)]+. The pKa values determined in acetonitrile range from 9.3 to 17.7, and show a linear correlation with the logarithm of the exchange rates. Thus the exchange dynamics are controlled through the relative acidity of the [CpMo(H)(CO)(P2N2H)]+ and [CpMo(H2)(CO)(P2N2)]+ isomers, providing a design principle for controlling heterolytic cleavage of H2.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Lattice-Hydride Mechanism in Electrocatalytic CO 2 Reduction by Structurally Precise Copper-Hydride Nanoclusters

Copper electrocatalysts can reduce CO2 to hydrocarbons at high overpotentials. However, a mechanistic understanding of CO2 reduction on nanostructured Cu catalysts has been lacking. Herein we show that the structurally precise ligand-protected Cu-hydride nanoclusters, such as Cu32H20L12 (L is a dithiophosphate ligand), offer unique selectivity for electrocatalytic CO2 reduction at low overpotentials. Our density functional theory (DFT) calculations predict that the presence of the negatively charged hydrides in the copper cluster plays a critical role in determining the selectivity of the reduction product, yielding HCOOH over CO with a lower overpotential. The HCOOH formation proceeds via the lattice-hydride mechanism: first, surface hydrides reduce CO2 to HCOOH product, and then the hydride vacancies are readily regenerated by the electrochemical proton reduction. DFT calculations further predict that hydrogen evolution is less competitive than HCOOH formation at the low overpotential. Confirming the predictions, electrochemical tests of CO2 reduction on the Cu32H20L12 cluster demonstrate that HCOOH is indeed the main product at low overpotential, while H2 production dominates at higher overpotential. The unique selectivity afforded by the lattice-hydride mechanism opens the door for further fundamental and applied studies of electrocatalytic CO2 reduction by copper-hydride nanoclusters and other metal nanoclusters that contain hydrides.

Tang, Qing↗

A phase-field model for hydride formation in polycrystalline metals: Application to δ-hydride in zirconium alloys

We report a phase-field model for simulating metal hydride formation involving large volume expansion in single- and polycrystals. As an example, we consider δ-hydride formation in α-zirconium (Zr), which involves both displacive crystallographic structural change and hydrogen diffusion process. Thermodynamic Gibbs energy functions are extracted from the available thermodynamic database based on the sublattice model for the interstitial solid solutions. Solute-grain boundary interactions and inhomogeneous elasticity of polycrystals are taken into consideration within the context of diffuse-interface description. The stress-free transformation strains of multiple variants for hcp -Zr (α) to fcc -hydride (δ) transformation are derived based on the well-established orientation relationship between the α and δ phases as well as the corresponding temperature-dependent lattice parameters. In particular, to account for the large volume expansion, we introduced the mixed interfacial coherency concept between those phases—basal planes are coherent and prismatic planes are semi-coherent in computing the strain energy contribution to the thermodynamics. We analyzed the morphological characteristics of hydrides involving multiple structural variants and their interactions with grain boundaries. Moreover, our simulation study allows for the exploration of the possible hydride re-orientation mechanisms when precipitating under applied tensile load, taking into account the variation in the interfacial coherency between hydrides and matrix, their elastic interactions with the applied stress, as well as their morphology-dependent interactions with grain boundaries. Here, the phase-field model presented here is generally applicable to hydride formation in any binary metal–hydrogen systems.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

A study of H+ production using metal hydride and other compounds by means of laser ion source

A laser ion source can provide wide variety of ion beams from solid target materials, however, it has been difficult to create proton beam efficiently. We examined capability of proton production using beeswax, polyethylene, and metal hydrides (MgH2 and ZrH2) as target materials. The results showed that beeswax and polyethylene could not be used to produce protons because these targets are transparent to the laser wavelength of 1064 nm. On the other hand, the metal hydrides could supply protons. Although the obtained particle numbers of protons were less than those of the metal ions, the metal hydrides could be used as a target for proton laser ion source.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Synthesis and Surface Attachment of Molecular Re(I) Hydride Species with Silatrane Functionalized Bipyridyl Ligands

Three molecular Re hydrides of the form ( R bpy)Re(CO) 3 H with 2,2′-bipyridine (bpy) ligands containing silatrane functional groups for surface attachment on metal oxide surfaces were synthesized. IR spectroscopy and cyclic voltammetry (CV) demonstrated that the complexes containing the silatrane functional groups have electronic properties similar to those of a control compound, which did not contain functional groups for attachment. Additionally, in a similar fashion to the control compound, the silatrane containing Re hydrides are electrocatalysts for the reduction of CO 2 to CO in solution. The silatrane containing complexes were immobilized on a thin layer of TiO 2 on Si, and the resulting composites were characterized using X-ray photoelectron and IR spectroscopy as well as cyclic voltammetry in the dark and under illumination. Control experiments indicated that the hydride complexes are not stable on the surface and degrade to species which contain a bpy ligand, three CO ligands, and an unknown ligand in the sixth site. Similarly, when one of the silatrane containing Re hydride complexes was immobilized on Si nanoparticles with a thin layer of SiO 2 or silica nanoparticles, the hydride ligand was lost. Density functional theory calculations were used to corroborate the observed behavior of hydride species on a surface. Altogether, this work demonstrates the difficulties associated with attaching well-defined molecular hydride complexes to metal oxide surfaces.

Anions↗

Hydriding and dehydriding characteristics of LiBH{sub 4} and transition metals-added magnesium hydride

Graphical abstract: Hydriding reaction curves under 12 bar H{sub 2}, and dehydriding reaction curves under 1.0 bar H{sub 2}, at 593 K at the 1st cycle for MgH{sub 2}–10Ni–2LiBH{sub 4}–2Ti and MgH{sub 2}. Highlights: ► Addition of Ni, LiBH{sub 4}, and Ti to MgH{sub 2} to increase reaction rates. ► Sample preparation by reactive mechanical grinding. ► At n = 2, the sample absorbed 4.05 wt% H for 60 min at 593 K under 12 bar H{sub 2}. ► Analysis of rate-controlling step for dehydriding of the sample at n = 3. - Abstract: In this study, MgH{sub 2} was used as a starting material instead of Mg. Ni, Ti, and LiBH{sub 4} with a high hydrogen-storage capacity of 18.4 wt% were added. A sample with a composition of MgH{sub 2}–10Ni–2LiBH{sub 4}–2Ti was prepared by reactive mechanical grinding. The activation of MgH{sub 2}–10Ni–2LiBH{sub 4}–2Ti was completed after the first hydriding–dehydrding cycle. The hydriding rate decreases as the temperature increases due to the decrease in the driving force for the hydriding reaction. At the 1st cycle, the sample desorbs 1.45 wt% H for 10 min, 2.54 wt% H for 20 min, 3.13 wt% H for 30 min, and 3.40 wt% H for 60 min at 593 K under 1.0 bar H{sub 2}. At the 2nd cycle, the sample absorbs 3.84 wt% H for 5 min, 3.96 wt% H for 10 min, and 4.05 wt% H for 60 min at 593 K under 12 bar H{sub 2}. MgH{sub 2}–10Ni–2LiBH{sub 4}–2Ti after reactive mechanical grinding contained MgH{sub 2}, Mg, Ni, TiH{sub 1.924}, and MgO phases. The reactive mechanical grinding of Mg with Ni, LiBH{sub 4}, and Ti is considered to create defects on the surface and in the interior of Mg (to facilitate nucleation), and to reduce the particle size of Mg (to shorten diffusion distances of hydrogen atoms). The formation of Mg{sub 2}Ni during hydriding–dehydriding cycling increases the hydriding and dehydriding rates of the sample.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

OBSERVATION AND MECHANISM OF HYDRIDE IN ZIRCALOY-4 AND LOCAL HYDRIDE RE-ORIENTATION INDUCED BY HIGH PRESSURE AT HIGH TEMPERATURES

Hydrided Zircaloy-4 samples were produced by a gas charging method to desired amounts of hydrogen. For low hydrogen content samples, the hydrided platelets appear elongated and needle-like, orientated in the circumferential direction. Mechanical testing was carried out by the ring compression method at various temperatures. Samples with higher hydrogen concentration resulted in lower strain before fracture and reduced maximum load. The trend between temperature and ductility was also very clear: increasing temperatures resulted in increased ductility of the hydrided cladding. A single through-wall crack was observed for a hydrided sample having very high hydrogen concentration under ring compression testing. For samples having lower hydrogen concentrations, the fracture surfaces traversed both circumferential and radial directions, and for which voids were observed near the hydrides. Mechanical tests to study hydride reorientation in these samples are under way, and the results will be reported in the near future.

Hydride↗

A Cobalt Hydride Catalyst for the Hydrogenation of CO2: Pathways for Catalysis and Deactivation

The complex Co(dmpe)₂H catalyzes the hydrogenation of CO₂ at one atm and 21 ºC with significant improvement in turnover frequency relative to previously reported second and third row transition metal complexes. New studies are presented to elucidate the catalytic mechanism as well as pathways for catalyst deactivation. The catalytic rate was optimized through the choice of the base to match the pK a of the [Co(dmpe)₂(H)₂]⁺ intermediate. By using a strong enough base, the catalytic rate has a zero order dependence on the concentration of base and pressure of hydrogen, and a first order dependence on the pressure of CO₂. However, upon exceeding CO₂:H₂ ratios of greater than one, the catalytically inactive species [(μ-dmpe)(Co(dmpe)₂)₂]²⁺ and [Co(dmpe)₂CO]⁺ are observed. Research by M.S.J., M.T.M., A.M.A., and J.C.L. was supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences. Research by M.L.H. and E.B.H. was supported as part of the Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a multiprogram national laboratory operated for the DOE by Battelle.

catalysis↗

A microstructure-based modeling approach to predict the mechanical properties of Zr alloy with hydride precipitates

In nuclear reactors, hydrides can form in fuel cladding due to hydrogen absorption in ZIrcaloy and cause embrittlement. This work presents a microstructure-based finite element model to predict the stress-strain response of Zircaloy containing hydrides. Quantitative microstructural details extracted from scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images were used to generate heterogeneous microstructures including the morphology and spatial distribution of hydrides. The constitutive material model for zircaloy in this study is based on crystal plasticity theory which considers the hexagonal close-packed (HCP) atomic structure of Zircaloy material. The hydrides were modeled as brittle material along with a damage model. Hydride formation inside the zircoloy matrix results in residual stress. This phenomenon is also captured in this model. A parametric study has been conducted to understand the effect of volume fraction, orientation, and lamellae thickness of the hydride phase on the mechanical properties of the overall material.

Kulkarni, Shank S.↗

Open Circuit Potential Method for Thermodynamic Hydricity Measurements of Metal Hydrides

Metal hydrides are prevalent in many catalytic reactions, and thermodynamic hydricity has emerged as a useful parameter for understanding and predicting key hydride transfer steps with these intermediates. An open circuit potentiometry method for determining the hydricity of metal hydrides with a single thermodynamic parameter is reported. The open circuit potential (OCP) of a solution containing a metal hydride and its conjugate hydride acceptor, along with a conjugate acid/base pair, is coupled with known values for the acid pK a and H + /H – reduction potential to determine the hydricity. Here, the reliability of the method was established by using potentiometry to obtain the hydricity of three hydride complexes with varying supporting ligands and transition metal elements in acetonitrile solvent, all within error of previously reported values. Advantages and drawbacks of this method are discussed, and a recommended workflow for practitioners is introduced.

Anions↗

The Role of Protons and Hydrides in the Catalytic Hydrogenolysis of Guaiacol at the Ruthenium Nanoparticle-water Interface

The mechanistic roles of free hydronium ions, surface hydrides, and interfacial protons during guaiacol hydrodeoxygenation (HDO) on ruthenium nanoparticles are established. As guaiacol adsorbs on Ru, it loses its strong aromaticity and undergoes a rapid H-shift from its hydroxyl to meta carbons (in relation to its hydroxyl group), leading enol and keto surface isomers to exist in chemical equilibrium. HDO occurs via a hydridic H-adatom (H*) attack to the enol, followed by a kinetically relevant C-O bond rupture step, during which water shuttles the hydroxyl proton, enabling its intramolecular attack to the methoxy, evolving a high charged [Ru(s)-(C6H5O-)…(H+)…OCH3]† transition state. The competing HYD begins with a rapid H* attack to the keto, before a second, kinetically relevant H* attack, without proton involvement. Water, despite shifting the thermodynamics towards the more polar surface keto, promotes HDO to a much greater extent than HYD, because of its dual catalytic roles—it mobilizes hydroxyl proton (Brønsted acid) to cleave the strong C-O bond, synchronizing with the Ru metal surface (base) function that stabilizes the resulting [Ru(s)-(C6H5O-)…(H+)…OCH3]† transition state, and the water layers solvate this charged transition state, further reducing its free energy. Free hydronium ions do catalyze a separate homogeneous enol-keto isomerization, but this reaction is kinetically unrelated to HDO catalysis. This mechanistic picture explains the strong effects of polar protic solvent in hydrodeoxygenation, highlighting (i) the requirements of surface hydrides and interfacial protons acting in tandem to complete a HDO turnover and (ii) the cooperative role of protic solvent and metal surface in breaking the aromaticity and stabilizing charged reactive precursors and transition states.

Shangguan, Junnan↗

Hydride and Seek: Comparing Crystallographic Hydride Placement Techniques with an Open-Shell Cobalt Complex

Locating hydrides is crucial in organometallic chemistry but difficult to do accurately using X-ray diffraction. Electron diffraction has been proposed as a way to overcome this problem but has not been systematically compared to neutron diffraction and to quantum crystallography (Hirshfeld atom refinement, HAR) to test this hypothesis. Here, we present a comparative analysis of methods for a terminal cobalt hydride complex by comparing a single-crystal neutron diffraction reference structure to results from single-crystal X-ray diffraction with and without Hirshfeld atom refinement (HAR, NoSpherA2), density functional theory (DFT), and electron diffraction (3D-ED/MicroED) refined under kinematical and dynamical formalisms. Conventional X-ray diffraction gives lower precision than neutron diffraction as expected. Despite expected improvements, HAR gives systematic deviation from the neutron benchmark. Interestingly, optimized DFT equilibrium geometries are closer to the neutron value than the value from HAR. On the other hand, electron diffraction with a high-quality data set coupled with dynamical refinement localizes the hydride in difference maps and gives excellent agreement with the neutron data. Dynamical refinement is crucial, as kinematical refinement does not allow assignment of a hydride peak. This cross-modal comparison defines the conditions under which 3D-ED/MicroED delivers high-precision metal–hydride distances for this open-shell cobalt hydride.

anions↗

First-principles calculations of niobium hydride formation in superconducting radio-frequency cavities

Niobium hydride is suspected to be a major contributor to degradation of the quality factor of niobium superconducting radio-frequency (SRF) cavities. In this study, we connect the fundamental properties of hydrogen in niobium to SRF cavity performance and processing. We modeled several of the niobium hydride phases relevant to SRF cavities and present their thermodynamic, electronic, and geometric properties determined from calculations based on density-functional theory. We find that the absorption of hydrogen from the gas phase into niobium is exothermic and hydrogen becomes somewhat anionic. The absorption of hydrogen by niobium lattice vacancies is strongly preferred over absorption into interstitial sites. A single vacancy can accommodate six hydrogen atoms in the symmetrically equivalent lowest-energy sites and additional hydrogen in the nearby interstitial sites affected by the strain field: this indicates that a vacancy can serve as a nucleation center for hydride phase formation. Small hydride precipitates may then occur near lattice vacancies upon cooling. Vacancy clusters and extended defects should also be enriched in hydrogen, potentially resulting in extended hydride phase regions upon cooling. We also assess the phase changes in the niobium-hydrogen system based on charge transfer between niobium and hydrogen, the strain field associated with interstitial hydrogen, and the geometry of the hydride phases. The results of this study stress the importance of not only the hydrogen content in niobium, but also the recovery state of niobium for the performance of SRF cavities.

Ford, Denise C.↗

Synchrotron X-ray diffraction study of zirconium hydride distribution in Zr-2.5%Nb and its redistribution during thermal cycling

Highlights: • Differently oriented grains were studied in situ using synchrotron diffraction. • The effect of thermo-mechanical history on hydrogen location in α-Zr is considered. • Hydrogen redistribution in alpha-Zr matrix during thermal cycling discussed. - Abstract: Hydride distribution in a dual-phase hydrided Zr-2.5wt%Nb has been studied. Samples having different prior thermo-mechanical processing history were thermally cycled within a 86 keV X-ray photon beam. The diffraction patterns generated with this technique allow the evaluation of the relative quantity of hydrides within differently oriented grain sets. It was found that hydrides exist primarily within two different α-Zr grain-sets. One grain-set has its {0002} α-Zr direction oriented very close to the hoop direction while the other exists within a plane approximately 20° away from it. During thermal cycling, the proportion or hydrides oriented within different grain sets was shown to change from the distribution associated with the prior thermomechanical processing, to that corresponding to the current thermal cycling conditions. It was also shown that the ability for hydrogen to redistribute in the matrix correlates with the cooling rate of the specimen.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Site-specific nanoscale characterization of zirconium hydrides in the hydride rim structure of hydrogen-charged zircaloy-4 cladding

Zircaloy-4 cladding tubes were hydrogen-charged using a static pressure hydrogen charging method to experimentally produce a zirconium-hydride rim structure similar to that observed in Zircaloy-4 cladding tubes after operation in commercial light-water nuclear reactors. Detailed characterization was performed using electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) and four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM). By mapping the position of the plasmon peak in the low-loss EELS spectrum, it was determined that the zirconium hydrides formed were predominantly solid δ-phase zirconium hydrides. 4D-STEM was used to generate phase and strain maps at nanoscale. The interactions between two zirconium hydride platelets less than 200 nm apart leads to the localized lattice rotations and possible phase change, revealing a potential hydride growth mechanism.

4D-STEM↗