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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 55 records · Page 3
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2012

Bronsted-Evans-Polany relationships for C-C bond forming and C-C bond breaking reactions in thiamine-catalyzed decarboxylation of 2-keto acids using density functional theory.

The concept of generalized enzyme reactions suggests that a wide variety of substrates can undergo enzymatic transformations, including those whose biotransformation has not yet been realized. The use of quantum chemistry to evaluate kinetic feasibility is an attractive approach to identify enzymes for the proposed transformation. However, the sheer number of novel transformations that can be generated makes this impractical as a screening approach. Therefore, it is essential to develop structure/activity relationships based on quantities that are more efficient to calculate. In this work, we propose a structure/activity relationship based on the free energy of binding or reaction of non-native substrates to evaluate the catalysis relative to that of native substrates. While Broensted-Evans-Polanyi (BEP) relationships such as that proposed here have found broad application in heterogeneous catalysis, their extension to enzymatic catalysis is limited. We report here on density functional theory (DFT) studies for C-C bond formation and C-C bond cleavage associated with the decarboxylation of six 2-keto acids by a thiamine-containing enzyme (EC 1.2.7.1) and demonstrate a linear relationship between the free energy of reaction and the activation barrier. We then applied this relationship to predict the activation barriers of 17 chemically similar novel reactions. These calculations reveal that there is a clear correlation between the free energy of formation of the transition state and the free energy of the reaction, suggesting that this method can be further extended to predict the kinetics of novel reactions through our computational framework for discovery of novel biochemical transformations.

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

Breaking Simple Scaling Relations through Metal–Oxide Interactions: Understanding Room-Temperature Activation of Methane on M/CeO 2 (M = Pt, Ni, or Co) Interfaces

The clean activation of methane at low temperatures remains an eminent challenge and a field of competitive research. In particular, on late transition metal surfaces such as Pt(111) or Ni(111), higher temperatures are necessary to activate the hydrocarbon molecule, but a massive deposition of carbon makes the metal surface useless for catalytic activity. However, on very low-loaded M/CeO 2 (M = Pt, Ni, or Co) surfaces, the dissociation of methane occurs at room temperature, which is unexpected considering simple linear scaling relationships. This intriguing phenomenon has been studied using a combination of experimental techniques (ambient-pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, time-resolved X-ray diffraction, and X-ray absorption spectroscopy) and density functional theory-based calculations. The experimental and theoretical studies show that the size and morphology of the supported nanoparticles together with strong metal–support interactions are behind the deviations from the scaling relations. These findings point toward a possible strategy for circumventing scaling relations, producing active and stable catalysts that can be employed for methane activation and conversion.

03 NATURAL GAS↗
DOE OSTI2017

Identifying and Breaking Scaling Relations in Molecular Catalysis of Electrochemical Reactions

Improving molecular catalysis for important electrochemical proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) reactions, such as the interconversions of H+/H2, O2/H2O, CO2/CO, and N2/NH3, is an ongoing challenge. Synthetic modifications to the molecular catalysts are valuable but often show trade-offs between turnover frequency (TOF) and the effective overpotential required to initiate catalysis (?eff). Herein, we derive a new approach for improving efficiencieshigher TOF at lower ?eff by changing the concentrations and properties of the reactants and products, rather than by modifying the catalyst. The dependence of TOF on ?eff is shown to be quite different upon changing, for instance, the pKa of the acid HA versus the concentration or partial pressure of a reactant or product. Using the electrochemical reduction of dioxygen catalyzed by iron porphyrins in DMF as an example, decreasing [HA] 10-fold lowers ?eff by 59 mV and decreases the TOF by a factor of 10. Alternatively, a 10- fold decrease in Ka(HA) also lowers ?eff by 59 mV but only decreases the TOF by a factor of 2. This approach has been used to improve a catalytic TOF by 104 vs the previously reported scaling relationship developed via synthetic modifications to the catalyst. The analysis has the potential to predict improved efficiency and product selectivity of any molecular PCET catalyst, based on its mechanism and rate law.

Pegis, Michael L.↗
DOE OSTI2017

Partial breaking of the Coulombic ordering of ionic liquids confined in carbon nanopores

Ionic liquids are composed of equal quantities of positive and negative ions. In the bulk, electrical neutrality occurs in these liquids due to Coulombic ordering, in which ion shells of alternating charge form around a central ion. Their structure under confinement is far less well understood. This hinders the widespread application of ionic liquids in technological applications. Here we use scattering experiments to resolve the structure of a widely used ionic liquid (EMI–TFSI) when it is confined inside nanoporous carbons. We show that Coulombic ordering reduces when the pores can accommodate only a single layer of ions. Instead, equally charged ion pairs are formed due to the induction of an electric potential of opposite sign in the carbon pore walls. This non-Coulombic ordering is further enhanced in the presence of an applied external electric potential. Furthermore, this finding opens the door for the design of better materials for electrochemical applications.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2012

On the breaking of a plasma wave in a thermal plasma. II. Electromagnetic wave interaction with the breaking plasma wave

In thermal plasma, the structure of the density singularity formed in a relativistically large amplitude plasma wave close to the wavebreaking limit leads to a refraction coefficient with discontinuous spatial derivatives. This results in a non-exponentially small above-barrier reflection of an electromagnetic wave interacting with the nonlinear plasma wave.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2013

Properties of localization in silicon-based lattice periodicity breaking photonic crystal waveguides

The light localization effects in silicon photonic crystal cavities at different disorder degrees have been studied using the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method in this paper. Numerical results showed that localization occurs and enhancement can be gained in the region of the cavity under certain conditions. The stabilities of the localization effects due to the structural perturbations have been investigated too. Detailed studies showed that when the degree of structural disorder is small(about 10%), the localization effects are stable, the maximum enhancement factor can reach 16.5 for incident wavelength of 785 nm and 23 for 850 nm in the cavity, with the degree of disorder about 8%. The equivalent diameter of the localized spot is almost constant at different disorder degrees, approximating to λ/7, which turned out to be independent on the structural perturbation.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2014

Breaking generalized covariance, classical renormalization, and boundary conditions from superpotentials

Superpotentials offer a direct means of calculating conserved charges associated with the asymptotic symmetries of space-time. Yet superpotentials have been plagued with inconsistencies, resulting in nonphysical or incongruent values for the mass, angular momentum, and energy loss due to radiation. The approach of Regge and Teitelboim, aimed at a clear Hamiltonian formulation with a boundary, and its extension to the Lagrangian formulation by Julia and Silva have resolved these issues, and have resulted in a consistent, well-defined and unique variational equation for the superpotential, thereby placing it on a firm footing. A hallmark solution of this equation is the KBL superpotential obtained from the first-order Lovelock Lagrangian. Nevertheless, here we show that these formulations are still insufficient for Lovelock Lagrangians of higher orders. We present a paradox, whereby the choice of fields affects the superpotential for equivalent on-shell dynamics. We offer two solutions to this paradox: either the original Lagrangian must be effectively renormalized, or that boundary conditions must be imposed, so that space-time be asymptotically maximally symmetric. Non-metricity is central to this paradox, and we show how quadratic non-metricity in the bulk of space-time contributes to the conserved charges on the boundary, where it vanishes identically. This is a realization of the gravitational Higgs mechanism, proposed by Percacci, where the non-metricity is the analogue of the Goldstone boson.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗
DOE OSTI2016

A small protein inhibits proliferating cell nuclear antigen by breaking the DNA clamp

Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) forms a trimeric ring that encircles duplex DNA and acts as an anchor for a number of proteins involved in DNA metabolic processes. PCNA has two structurally similar domains (I and II) linked by a long loop (inter-domain connector loop, IDCL) on the outside of each monomer of the trimeric structure that makes up the DNA clamp. All proteins that bind to PCNA do so via a PCNA-interacting peptide (PIP) motif that binds near the IDCL. A small protein, called TIP, binds to PCNA and inhibits PCNA-dependent activities although it does not contain a canonical PIP motif. The X-ray crystal structure of TIP bound to PCNA reveals that TIP binds to the canonical PIP interaction site, but also extends beyond it through a helix that relocates the IDCL. TIP alters the relationship between domains I and II within the PCNA monomer such that the trimeric ring structure is broken, while the individual domains largely retain their native structure. Small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) confirms the disruption of the PCNA trimer upon addition of the TIP protein in solution and together with the X-ray crystal data, provides a structural basis for the mechanism of PCNA inhibition by TIP.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗