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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 451 records · Page 25
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2018

Investigations of Uranyl Fluoride Sesquihydrate (UO 2 F 2 ·1.57H 2 O): Combining 19 F Solid-State MAS NMR Spectroscopy and GIPAW Chemical Shift Calculations

High-resolution 19 F magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectra were obtained for the uranium-bearing solid, uranyl fluoride (UO 2 F 2 ·1.57H 2 O). While there are seven distinct crystallographic fluorine sites, the 19 F NMR spectrum reveals six peaks at -33.3, 9.1, 25.7, 33.0, 39.0, and 48.2 ppm, with the peak at 33.0 ppm twice the intensity of all the others and therefore corresponding to two sites. To assign the peaks in the experimental spectra to crystallographic sites, 19 F chemical shifts were calculated by using the GIPAW (Gauge Including Projector Augmented Waves) plane-wave pseudopotential approach for a DFT-optimized crystal structure. The peak assignments from DFT are consistent with 2D double-quantum (DQ) 19 F MAS NMR experiments.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2024

Untapped Potential of Fluoride Ions in Maximizing the Electrochemical Stability of Deep Eutectic Solvents

Advancing the batteries is pivotal to propelling our society toward a sustainable, electrified future. The stability of electrolytes forms the backbone of energy storage systems. This is particularly the case for redox flow batteries (RFBs). Their deployability depends on their longevity and dependability. The presence of unstable electrolytes can trigger undesirable reactions, degrade performance, and lead to battery failure. Aqueous electrolytes, with limited electrochemical stability window (ESW), are prone to hydrogen and oxygen evolution. Conversely, non-aqueous electrolytes offer enhanced stability. In this study, we unveil the ESW of a non-aqueous eutectic solvent, comprising choline fluoride and ethylene glycol—a composition that has eluded experimental investigation until now. Our findings show that the stability window, reduction and oxidation potential limits of deep eutectic solvents, are sensitive to variations in the halide component of the ammonium salt. Furthermore, this work not only highlights the benefits of novel deep eutectic solvents but also sets the stage for their strategic use in future battery electrolytes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

Poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) Binder Degradation in Li–O 2 Batteries: A Consideration for the Characterization of Lithium Superoxide

We show that a common Li–O 2 battery cathode binder, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF), degrades in the presence of reduced oxygen species during Li–O 2 discharge when adventitious impurities are present. This degradation process forms products that exhibit Raman shifts (~1133 and 1525 cm –1 ) nearly identical to those reported to belong to lithium superoxide (LiO 2 ), complicating the identification of LiO 2 in Li–O 2 batteries. We show that these peaks are not observed when characterizing extracted discharged cathodes that employ poly(tetrafluoroethylene) (PTFE) as a binder, even when used to bind iridium-decorated reduced graphene oxide (Ir-rGO)-based cathodes similar to those that reportedly stabilize bulk LiO 2 formation. We confirm that for all extracted discharged cathodes on which the 1133 and 1525 cm –1 Raman shifts are observed, only a 2.0 e – /O 2 process is identified during the discharge, and lithium peroxide (Li 2 O 2 ) is predominantly formed (along with typical parasitic side product formation). In conclusion, our results strongly suggest that bulk, stable LiO 2 formation via the 1 e – /O 2 process is not an active discharge reaction in Li–O 2 batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Origins of Electrostriction in Poly(vinylidene fluoride)-Based Ferroelectric Polymers

Although electrostriction is ubiquitous for dielectric polymers, giant electrostriction has not been observed until relaxor ferroelectric (RFE) poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)-based polymers are achieved. However, the exact origin for giant electrostriction in these polymers has not been fully understood. By studying the electrostriction in the uniaxially stretched films of a ferroelectric poly(VDF-co-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE)] random copolymer and an RFE poly(VDF-co-TrFE-co-chlorotrifluoroethylene) [P(VDF-TrFE-CTFE)] random terpolymer in this work, we confirmed that ferroelectric switching with large hysteresis, such as in the case of P(VDF-TrFE), was not genuine electrostriction. By decreasing large ferroelectric domains to the nanometer scale (i.e., 2–3 nm), such as in the case of the P(VDF-TrFE-CTFE) terpolymer, electrostriction with low hysteresis could be achieved. Here, two origins of the large electrostriction in these polymers were identified. The first was the mechano-electrostriction due to the poling field-induced conformation transformation of oriented polymer chains. The second was the electric repulsion of electrically aligned nanodomains. These effects could occur in both crystals and the oriented amorphous fraction, which links between the nanocrystals and the isotropic amorphous fraction. When the poling field was relatively low (e.g., <40 MV/m), the mechano-electrostriction was the major contribution and the electric repulsion effect was a minor contribution to electrostriction. Meanwhile, a strong temperature dependence of the low-field electrostriction coefficient was observed. Finally, we found an empirical inverse relationship between the electrostriction coefficient and the product of Young’s modulus and dielectric constant. The knowledge obtained from this study provides an insightful understanding of the electrostriction mechanism in PVDF-based electroactive polymers, which will find potential applications in sensors and actuators for wearable electronics and soft robotics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Selective and Orthogonal Post-Polymerization Modification using Sulfur(VI) Fluoride Exchange (SuFEx) and Copper-Catalyzed Azide–Alkyne Cycloaddition (CuAAC) Reactions

Functional polystyrenes and polyacrylamides, containing combinations of fluorosulfate, aromatic silyl ether, and azide side chains, were used as scaffolds to demonstrate the postpolymerization modification capabilities of sulfur(VI) fluoride exchange (SuFEx) and CuAAC chemistries. Fluorescent dyes bearing appropriate functional groups were sequentially attached to the backbone of the copolymers, quantitatively and selectively addressing their reactive partners. Furthermore, this combined SuFEx and CuAAC approach proved to be robust and versatile, allowing for a rare accomplishment: triple orthogonal functionalization of a copolymer under essentially ambient conditions without protecting groups.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Flat-On Secondary Crystals as Effective Blocks To Reduce Ionic Conduction Loss in Polysulfone/Poly(vinylidene fluoride) Multilayer Dielectric Films

Recently, poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF)-based multilayer films have demonstrated good potential as high energy density, high temperature, and low loss polymer dielectrics for advanced electrical and power applications. However, impurity ion conduction in the PVDF layers can cause significant dielectric loss at high temperatures. In this study, we discovered a facile melt-recrystallization method to suppress ionic conduction loss in polysulfone (PSF)/PVDF 50/50 (v/v) 33-layer films. By use of combined differential scanning calorimetry, broadband dielectric spectroscopy, and simultaneous small-angle X-ray scattering/wide-angle X-ray diffraction techniques, the underlying mechanism for the suppression of ionic conduction was unraveled. Basically, the growth and hierarchical organization of primary and secondary PVDF crystals confined in 400 nm layers played an important role. When the cooling rate during melt-recrystallization was high (e.g., ≥ 500 °C/min), small and poorly oriented secondary crystals between orderly stacked edge-on primary crystals allowed free transport of impurity ions in PVDF layers. At low to moderate cooling rates (i.e., <100 °C/min), growth of flat-on secondary crystals between the edge-on primary crystalline lamellae blocked the transport of impurity ions, suppressing the dielectric loss from ionic conduction. On the basis of this paper, we propose a modified multilayer coextrusion method with controlled cooling rates to achieve flat-on secondary crystals for the reduction of high temperature dielectric loss in PVDF-based multilayer dielectric films.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Can Relaxor Ferroelectric Behavior Be Realized for Poly(vinylidene fluoride- co -chlorotrifluoroethylene) [P(VDF–CTFE)] Random Copolymers by Inclusion of CTFE Units in PVDF Crystals?

Relaxor ferroelectric (RFE) polymers are attractive for various electrical applications such as electrostrictive actuation, electromechanical sensors, electric energy storage, and electrocaloric cooling because of their high dielectric constants and low hysteresis loss. Current state-of-the-art RFE polymers include poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF–TrFE)]-based random copolymers and terpolymers. However, the high costs due to a safety concern of TrFE make their near-term commercialization difficult. It is highly desirable to explore the opportunity of TrFE-free PVDF copolymers [e.g., P(VDF–CTFE); CTFE is chlorotrifluoroethylene] to achieve the RFE behavior by inclusion of CTFE in PVDF crystals (i.e., isomorphism). In this work, two strategies were employed to include CTFE in PVDF crystals. First, high-pressure crystallization was used to obtain extended-chain crystals via the pseudohexagonal paraelectric phase. Structural analyses indicated that CTFE units were largely excluded from the γ unit cells and ferroelectric domains of PVDF but located as kinks inside the extended-chain lamellae. As a result, no RFE behavior was observed because of large ferroelectric γ domains. The second strategy utilized mechanical stretching at low temperatures (–20 to 0 °C) to obtain oriented small β crystallites (ca. 5–7 nm). Structural analyses indicated that CTFE units were excluded from the β unit cells, locating at the crystal–amorphous interfaces. Although the hysteresis loops became somewhat slimmer as a result of small crystallite sizes, the RFE behavior with slim hysteresis loops was still not achieved. Furthermore, this study demonstrated that CTFE units were too large to be included in the tightly packed PVDF unit cells, whether the α, γ, or β phase. In the future, it is desirable to explore other PVDF copolymers with a smaller comonomer such as 1-chloro-1-fluoroethylene.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Investigation of Americium-Containing Phosphates, Silicates, Borates, Molybdates, and Fluorides Synthesized via High-Temperature Flux Crystal Growth

The crystal chemistry of americium-containing extended structures was investigated, and several classes of americium-containing solid-state oxide materials were obtained in single-crystal form via high-temperature flux crystal growth. This enabled the structural characterization of rare examples of ternary, quaternary, and penternary americium-containing silicates K 3 Am (Si 2 O 7 ) and Cs 6 Am 2 Si 21 O 48 , phosphates Na 3 Am (PO 4 ) 2 and K 3 Am (PO 4 ) 2 , borates Ba 3 Am 2 (BO 3 ) 4 and AmBO 3 , borate halides Ca 5 Am(BO 3 ) 4 Cl, molybdates Li 0.5 Am 0.5 MoO 4 , and fluorides CsAm 2 F 7 . Using these crystallographic data, the ionic radii of Am 3+ with coordination numbers of six (0.975 Å), seven (1.052 Å), and nine (1.162 Å) were established. A maximum entropy method (MEM) analysis was performed on the single-crystal X-ray diffraction data that were collected for K 3 Nd(PO 4 ) 2 /K 3 Am(PO 4 ) 2 , K 3 NdSi 2 O 7 /K 3 AmSi 2 O 7 , and NdBO 3 /AmBO 3 , to qualitatively compare the ionicities of the Nd–O and Am–O bonds. In conclusion, Raman spectroscopy data were collected on single crystals of K 3 Am(PO 4 ) 2 and compared to the calculated Raman spectrum of K 3 Am(PO 4 ) 2 obtained from DFT calculations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2020

High-Entropy Perovskite Fluorides: A New Platform for Oxygen Evolution Catalysis

High-entropy perovskite fluorides (HEPFs) have great potential in electrocatalysis that has not been realized because of the limitation of a high-temperature synthetic route and the limited understanding of high-entropy materials. The use of HEPFs in effective oxygen evolution catalysis and a feasible synthesis route for HEPFs in a boiled solution by combining a hydrothermal method with mechanochemistry are first reported here. These HEPFs consisting of cost-effective elements dramatically gave excellent catalytic activity for the oxygen evolution reaction in an alkaline media.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2019

Fast and selective fluoride ion conduction in sub-1-nanometer metal-organic framework channels

Biological fluoride ion channels are sub-1-nanometer protein pores with ultrahigh F - conductivity and selectivity over other halogen ions. Developing synthetic F - channels with biological-level selectivity is highly desirable for ion separations such as water defluoridation, but it remains a great challenge. Here we report synthetic F - channels fabricated from zirconium-based metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), UiO-66-X ( x = H, NH 2 , and N + (CH 3 ) 3 ). These MOFs are comprised of nanometer-sized cavities connected by sub-1-nanometer-sized windows and have specific F - binding sites along the channels, sharing some features of biological F - channels. UiO-66-X channels consistently show ultrahigh F - conductivity up to ~10 S m -1 , and ultrahigh F - /Cl - selectivity, from ~13 to ~240. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that the ultrahigh F - conductivity and selectivity can be ascribed mainly to the high F - concentration in the UiO-66 channels, arising from specific interactions between F - ions and F - binding sites in the MOF channels.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Enhanced piezoelectricity from highly polarizable oriented amorphous fractions in biaxially oriented poly(vinylidene fluoride) with pure β crystals

Piezoelectric polymers hold great potential for various electromechanical applications, but only show low performance, with |d 33 |< 30 pC/N. We prepare a highly piezoelectric polymer (d 33 = -62 pC/N) based on a biaxially oriented poly(vinylidene fluoride) (BOPVDF, crystallinity = 0.52). After unidirectional poling, macroscopically aligned samples with pure β crystals are achieved, which show a high spontaneous polarization (P s ) of 140 mC/m 2 . Given the theoretical limit of P s,β = 188 mC/m 2 for the neat β crystal, the high P s cannot be explained by the crystalline-amorphous two-phase model (i.e., P s,β = 270 mC/m 2 ). Instead, we deduce that a significant amount (at least 0.25) of an oriented amorphous fraction (OAF) must be present between these two phases. Experimental data suggest that the mobile OAF resulted in the negative and high d 33 for the poled BOPVDF. The plausibility of this conclusion is supported by molecular dynamics simulations.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2022

Activity gradient driven mass transport in molten fluoride salt medium

Abstract The molten salt-cooled reactor concept has garnered significant interest and one of the current challenges limiting the deployment of these reactor concepts is the complex corrosion phenomenon observed in molten salt environments. One of these phenomena is activity gradient mass transport, which has been shown to affect dissimilar materials submerged in the same salt medium even when best efforts have been made to electrically isolate dissimilar materials from one another. This mechanism while shown experimentally, has not been predictively studied through a modeling approach. In this study, activity gradients in several 316L-X materials systems have been modeled and the mass transport predicted by the model has been confirmed through static isothermal corrosion testing in a molten fluoride salt medium.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Peptide programming of supramolecular vinylidene fluoride ferroelectric phases

Ferroelectric structures have spontaneous macroscopic polarization that can be inverted using external electric fields and have potential applications including information storage, energy transduction, ultralow-power nanoelectronics and biomedical devices. These functions would benefit from nanoscale control of ferroelectric structure, the ability to switch polarization with lower applied fields (low coercive field) and biocompatibility. Soft ferroelectrics based on poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVDF) have a thermodynamically unstable ferroelectric phase in the homopolymer, complex semi-crystalline structures, and high coercive fields. Here, in this work, we report on ferroelectric materials formed by water-soluble molecules containing only six VDF repeating units covalently conjugated to a tetrapeptide, with the propensity to assemble into the β-sheet structures that are ubiquitous in proteins. This led to the discovery of ribbon-shaped ferroelectric supramolecular assemblies that are thermodynamically stable with their long axes parallel to both the preferred hydrogen-bonding direction of β-sheets and the bistable polar axes of VDF hexamers. Relative to a commonly used ferroelectric copolymer, the biomolecular assemblies exhibit a coercive field that is two orders of magnitude lower, as the result of supramolecular dynamics, and a similar level of remnant polarization, despite having a peptide content of 49 wt%. Furthermore, the Curie temperature of the assemblies is about 40 °C higher than that of a copolymer containing a similar amount of VDF. This supramolecular system was created using a biologically inspired strategy that is attractive in terms of sustainability and that could lead to new functions for soft ferroelectrics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Adsorptive behavior of poly (vinylidene fluoride) membranes for the recovery of lignin-derived hydrophobic deep eutectic solvents

Abstract Recently, membrane technology has gained significant traction as an energy-efficient alternative to traditional thermal processes for solvent recovery. Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have emerged as sustainable alternatives to conventional organic solvents, yet a systematic methodology for selecting compatible membrane materials for their recovery remains underdeveloped. This study established a predictive framework for membrane material selection in hydrophobic DES applications using Hansen Solubility Parameters (HSP) with inverted criteria targeting materials with relative energy difference (RED) values greater than 1.0. Flat sheet membranes were fabricated via the non-solvent induced phase separation (NIPS) technique. Four NIPS fabricated polymer membranes were evaluated: polysulfone, cellulose acetate, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) fabricated with polyethylene glycol (PEG) as a pore-forming agent, and polybenzimidazole (PBI). The HSP approach successfully predicted membrane-solvent compatibility, with polysulfone (RED = 0.6) and cellulose acetate (RED = 0.9) dissolving completely within 24 h, while PVDF (RED = 1.9) and PBI (RED = 1.1) maintained structural integrity throughout a 7-day exposure period. Furthermore, PVDF demonstrated superior performance with minimal weight gain (3.0%), hydrophobic surface characteristics (122° water contact angle), and enhanced mechanical properties following DES exposure. Comprehensive chemical and morphological characterization confirmed PVDF’s chemical stability and revealed a surface-selective interaction mechanism involving simultaneous PEG (pore-forming agent) extraction and DES component adsorption. Adsorption kinetics followed pseudo-first-order behavior with reversible characteristics, best described by the Temkin isotherm model (R² = 0.9987). PVDF membranes-maintained separation functionality with average lignin rejection (75.2 ± 7.69%) and demonstrated filtration permeability of 2.0 ± 0.34 LMH/bar. This methodology provides a rational approach for membrane selection in emerging solvent systems, contributing to the advancement of sustainable separation technologies for DES-based biomass processing applications.

Science & Technology - Other Topics↗
DOE OSTI2024

Targeted sulfur(VI) fluoride exchange-mediated covalent modification of a tyrosine residue in the catalytic pocket of tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase 1

Abstract Developing effective inhibitors of the DNA repair enzyme tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterase 1 (TDP1) has been challenging because of the enzyme shallow catalytic pocket and non-specific substrate binding interactions. Recently, we discovered a quinolone-binding hot spot in TDP1’s active site proximal to the evolutionary conserved Y204 and F259 residues that position DNA. Sulfur (VI) fluoride exchange (SuFEx) is a biocompatible click chemistry reaction that enables acylation of protein residues, including tyrosine. Selective protein modifications can provide insights into the biological roles of proteins and inform ligand design. As we report herein, we used SuFEx chemistries to prepare covalent TDP1-bound binders showing site-specific covalent bonds with Y204. Our work presents the first application of SuFEx chemistries to TDP1 ligands. It validates the ability to covalently modify specific TDP1 residues by designed targeting and adds to the chemical biology resource toolbox for studying TDP1.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2016

Synthesis and application of ferroelectric poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) films using electrophoretic deposition

In this paper, we investigated the deposition kinetics of polyvinylidene fluoride copolymerized with trifluoroethylene (P(VDF-TrFE)) particles on stainless steel substrates during the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) process. The effect of applied voltage and deposition time on the structure and ferroelectric property of the P(VDF-TrFE) films was studied in detail. A method of repeated EPD and heat treatment above melting point were employed to fabricate crack-free P(VDF-TrFE) thick films. This method enabled us to fabricate P(VDF-TrFE) films with variable thicknesses. The morphology of the obtained films was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the formation of β-phase was confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. P(VDF-TrFE) films prepared with various thicknesses showed remnant polarization (P r ) of around 4 μC/cm 2 . To demonstrate the applicability of our processing recipe to complex structures, we fabricated a spring-type energy harvester by depositing P(VDF-TrFE) films on stainless steel springs using EPD process. Our preliminary results show that an electrophoretic deposition can be applied to produce high-quality P(VDF-TrFE) films on planar as well as three-dimensional (3-D) substrates.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Oriented polyvinylidene fluoride–trifluoroethylene (P(VDF–TrFE)) films by Langmuir–Blodgett deposition: A synchrotron X-ray diffraction study

Langmuir–Blodgett films of polyvinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene – P(VDF–TrFE)-copolymers possess substantially improved electrocaloric and pyroelectric properties, when compared with conventionally spin-cast films. In order to rationalize this, we prepared single-layered films of P(VDF–TrFE) (70:30) using both deposition techniques. Grazing incidence wide-angle X-ray scattering (GIWAXS), reveals that Langmuir–Blodgett deposited films have a higher concentration of the ferroelectric β-phase crystals, and that these films are highly oriented with respect to the substrate. Based on these observations, we suggest alternative means of deposition, which may substantially enhance the electrocaloric effect in P(VDF–TrFE) films. As a result, this development has significant implications for the potential use of P(VDF–TrFE) in solid-state refrigeration.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗