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At least 631 records · Page 35
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Signatures of the Bromine Atom and Open-Shell Spin Coupling in the X-ray Spectrum of the Bromobenzene Cation

Tabletop X-ray spectroscopy measurements at the carbon K-edge complemented by ab initio calculations are used to investigate the influence of the bromine atom on the carbon core–valence transitions in the bromobenzene cation (BrBz + ). The electronic ground state of the cation is prepared by resonance-enhanced two-photon ionization of neutral bromobenzene (BrBz) and probed by X-rays produced by high-harmonic generation (HHG). Replacing one of the hydrogen atoms in benzene with a bromine atom shifts the transition from the 1s C* orbital of the carbon atom (C*) bonded to bromine by ~1 eV to higher energy in the X-ray spectrum compared to the other carbon atoms (C). Moreover, in BrBz + , the X-ray spectrum is dominated by two relatively intense transitions, 1s C →π* and 1s C* →σ*(C*–Br), where the second transition is enhanced relative to the neutral BrBz. In addition, a doublet peak shape for these two transitions is observed in the experiment. The 1s C →π* doublet peak shape arises due to the spin coupling of the unpaired electron in the partially vacant π orbital (from ionization) with the two other unpaired electrons resulting from the transition from the 1s C core orbital to the fully vacant π* orbitals. Here, the 1s C* →σ* doublet peak shape results from several transitions involving σ* and vibrational C*–Br mode activations following the UV ionization, which demonstrates the impact of the C*–Br bond length on the core–valence transition as well as on the relaxation geometry of BrBz + .

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Cyclic versus Linear Alkylammonium Cations: Preventing Phase Transitions at Operational Temperatures in 2D Perovskites

Two-dimensional lead halide perovskites offer numerous attractive features for optoelectronics owing to their soft, deformable lattices and high degree of chemical tunability. While alteration of the metal and halide ions gives rise to significant modification of the bandgap energy, the organic spacer cations offer in-roads to tuning phase behavior and more subtle functionalities in ways that remain to be understood. Here, we study six variations of 2D perovskites changing only the organic spacer cations and demonstrate that these components intrinsically impact material response in important ways such as altering crystallographic structure, temperature-induced phase transitions, and photoluminescence emission. Two-dimensional perovskites containing commonly utilized aliphatic linear spacers, such as butylammonium, undergo phase transitions near room temperature. These transitions and temperature changes induce spacer-dependent variations in the emission spectra. Conversely, 2D perovskites comprising cyclic aliphatic spacers, such as cyclobutylammonium, are found to lack first-order phase transitions. These cyclic molecules are more sterically hindered within the crystal lattice, leading to temperature-induced contraction or expansion along certain crystallographic planes but no other significant thermal effects; additionally, they undergo changes in their emission spectra that cannot be explained by simple thermal expansion. Finally, given the similarities in the dielectric and chemical makeup of this set of six alkylammonium molecules, these results are unexpected and suggest a large structural and thermal phase space via spacer manipulation that could lead to improved 2D perovskite functionalization.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

A Solid Zn-Ion Conductor from an All-Zinc Metal–Organic Framework Replete with Mobile Zn 2+ Cations

Here, we describe the synthesis and properties of Zn 3 [(Zn 4 Cl) 3 (BTT) 8 ] 2 (ZnZnBTT, BTT 3– = 1,3,5-benzenetristetrazolate), a heretofore unknown member of a well-known, extensive family of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) with the general formula M II 3 [(M II 4 Cl) 3 (BTT) 8 ] 2 , which adopts an anionic, sodalite-like structure. As with previous members in this family, ZnZnBTT presents two crystallographically distinct metal cations: a skeletal Zn 2+ site, fixed within Zn 4 Cl(tetrazole) 8 secondary building units (SBUs), and a charge-balancing Zn 2+ site. Self-assembly of ZnZnBTT from its building blocks has remained elusive; instead, we show that ZnZnBTT is readily accessed by quantitative postsynthetic exchange of all Mn 2+ ions in MnMnBTT with zinc. We further demonstrate that ZnZnBTT is a promising Zn-ion conductor owing to the mobile charge-balancing extra-framework Zn 2+ cations. The new material displays a Zn-ion conductivity of σ = 1.15 × 10 –4 S/cm at room temperature and a relatively low activation energy of E a = 0.317 eV, enabling potential applications in the emerging field of quasi-solid-state zinc-ion batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Local Cation-Ordered Superlattice Stabilizing Ni-Rich Single-Crystalline Cathodes

Ni-rich single-crystalline cathodes are pivotal for advancing lithium-ion battery technology due to their high energy density and mechanical stability. However, Ni-rich single-crystalline particles face intrinsic structural heterogeneity due to excessively high sintering temperature required to shape micron-sized morphologies─typically over 150 °C above the polycrystalline optimum, leading to rapid electrochemical decay and unsatisfied rate performance that hinder their practical application. Here, in this work, we propose a lithium-deficient presintering strategy to synthesize cation-ordered single-crystalline LiNi 0.83 Co 0.12 Mn 0.05 O 2 (S-NCM83), effectively minimizing lattice chemical heterogeneity and defect formation. The resulting cation-ordered percolation network enhances the structural stability of the bulk, reduces the energy barrier for Li + migration, and stabilizes Li + diffusion pathways. Consequently, S-NCM83 demonstrates significantly improved cycling stability across various operating temperatures and achieves exceptional rate performance, delivering 206 mAh g –1 at 0.1 C and 170 mAh g –1 at 5 C, without requiring surface coatings or doping. This work introduces a universal strategy to address the long-standing structural instability issues in single-crystalline cathodes, paving the way for simplified and scalable approaches to long-life and high-energy lithium-ion batteries.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Accurate prediction of oxygen vacancy concentration with disordered A-site cations in high-entropy perovskite oxides

Abstract Entropic stabilized ABO 3 perovskite oxides promise many applications, including the two-step solar thermochemical hydrogen (STCH) production. Using binary and quaternary A-site mixed {A}FeO 3 as a model system, we reveal that as more cation types, especially above four, are mixed on the A-site, the cell lattice becomes more cubic-like but the local Fe–O octahedrons are more distorted. By comparing four different Density Functional Theory-informed statistical models with experiments, we show that the oxygen vacancy formation energies ( $${E}_{V}^{f}$$ E V f ) distribution and the vacancy interactions must be considered to predict the oxygen non-stoichiometry ( δ ) accurately. For STCH applications, the $${E}_{V}^{f}$$ E V f distribution, including both the average and the spread, can be optimized jointly to improve Δ δ (difference of δ between the two-step conditions) in some hydrogen production levels. This model can be used to predict the range of water splitting that can be thermodynamically improved by mixing cations in {A}FeO 3 perovskites.

08 HYDROGEN↗
DOE OSTI2021

Reactive phosphine combinatorial co-sputtering of cation disordered ZnGeP2 films

The discovery of new materials by coupling high-throughput synthesis with computational screening is being increasingly adopted. However, thus far, phosphides have been largely overlooked for both computational screening and high-throughput synthesis. In this paper, we report on the use of a high-throughput synthesis technique, reactive combinatorial co-sputtering with PH 3 , to deposit ZnGeP 2 thin films. We grew amorphous films over a wide range of compositions and found an upper limit in growth temperature determined by Zn and P volatility. We found that depositing in a Ge-limited regime could be utilized to slow the growth rate to compensate for the desorption of the Zn and P. Crystalline films were achieved by depositing films at higher temperatures in this Ge-limited regime with a reduced deposition rate. X-ray diffraction revealed that the films had crystallized in the zinc blende, cation-disordered structure. The crystalline films exhibited optical absorption energy threshold values ranging from 0.8 to 1.3 eV. Increased Ge content was found in films that exhibited a decreased absorption onset energy. Native defect calculations were used to gain an understanding of the off-stoichiometry seen in these films. This work provides the first high-throughput investigation of ZnGeP 2 , demonstrating the ability to grow amorphous and cation disordered ZnGeP 2 over a wide range of compositions with varying optical properties.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2013

Communication: Transfer ionization in a thermal reaction of a cation and anion: Ar{sup +} with Br{sup −} and I{sup −}

We present experimental evidence that reactions of argon cations Ar{sup +} with the halogen anions Br{sup −} and I{sup −} do not occur exclusively by mutual neutralization, but also produce the cations Br{sup +} or I{sup +} ions by transfer ionization (TI). The experiments were carried out in flowing-afterglow plasmas at gas temperatures between and 300 and 500 K, and employed a variant of the Variable Electron and Neutral Density Attachment Mass Spectrometry method. The measured TI rate coefficients are 1.9 ± 0.6 × 10{sup −9} cm{sup 3} s{sup −1} and 1.1 ± {sub 0.3}{sup 0.8}× 10{sup −9} cm{sup 3} s{sup −1} for the Br{sup −} and I{sup −} reactions, respectively. We find that the TI rate coefficients decline with temperature as T{sup −0.5} to T{sup −1}. No indication of TI was found in the reaction with Cl{sup −}, where it is endoergic.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2014

Investigation of cation distribution, electrical, magnetic properties and their correlation in Mn{sub 2-x}Co{sub 2x}Ni{sub 1-x}O{sub 4} films

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was performed on Mn{sub 2-x}Co{sub 2x}Ni{sub 1-x}O{sub 4} (x = 0.2, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6, and 0.8) series spinel films to determine their cation distributions. The results show that both Ni and Co ions exhibit bivalence, while Mn ions exhibit coexisting multivalence. The hopping frequency ν{sub 0} of each sample was obtained by combining cation distribution results and electrical measurement data. Analysis of the divergence at Neel temperature between field cooling and zero-field cooling magnetization curves revealed that the ferromagnetic coupling between octahedral site ions first leads to spontaneous magnetization at T{sub C}, after which a second spontaneous magnetization arises from the antiferromagnetic couple between tetrahedral and octahedral sites at a lower temperature T{sub N}. The correlation between hopping conductivity and magnetic transition temperature is discussed. We propose that the strength of the ferromagnetic couple between octahedral sites is subject to the product term of Nc(1 − c)ν{sub 0}, which determines the ferromagnetic transition temperature (T{sub C}) of the system. Our results provide an avenue to understand the origin of magnetic interaction in small-polaron hopping semiconductors.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Cation distribution in Ni{sub 1−x}Zn{sub x}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} using X-ray absorption spectroscopy

Spinel ferrite samples of Ni{sub 1−x}Zn{sub x}Fe{sub 2}O{sub 4} (for x=0.2, 0.4, 0.5, 0.6 and 0.8) nanoparticles prepared by a novel chemical synthesis method have been characterized by X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy (XAS) technique to investigate the distribution of cations in the unit cell. XANES region clearly shows that as Ni concentration increases, the pre-edge feature, which is a characteristic of tetrahedral coordination of Fe, is enhanced. A quantitative determination of the relative occupancy of iron cation in the octahedral and tetrahedral sites of the spinel structure was obtained from EXAFS data analysis. It has been found that as atomic fraction of Ni is increased from 0.2 to 0.8, Fe occupancy at tetrahedral to octahedral sites is increased from 13:87 and to 39:61.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2014

Photoionization of cold gas phase coronene and its clusters: Autoionization resonances in monomer, dimer, and trimer and electronic structure of monomer cation

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are key species encountered in a large variety of environments such as the Interstellar Medium (ISM) and in combustion media. Their UV spectroscopy and photodynamics in neutral and cationic forms are important to investigate in order to learn about their structure, formation mechanisms, and reactivity. Here, we report an experimental photoelectron-photoion coincidence study of a prototypical PAH molecule, coronene, and its small clusters, in a molecular beam using the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photons provided by the SOLEIL synchrotron facility. Mass-selected high resolution threshold photoelectron (TPES) and total ion yield spectra were obtained and analyzed in detail. Intense series of autoionizing resonances have been characterized as originating from the monomer, dimer, and trimer neutral species, which may be used as spectral fingerprints for their detection in the ISM by VUV absorption spectroscopy. Finally, a full description of the electronic structure of the monomer cation was made and discussed in detail in relation to previous spectroscopic optical absorption data. Tentative vibrational assignments in the near-threshold TPES spectrum of the monomer have been made with the support of a theoretical approach based on density functional theory.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

DFT studies of all fluorothiophenes and their cations as candidate monomers for conductive polymers

In this paper, electronic, structural, and properties of mono-, di-, tri-, and tetrafluorothiophenes and their radical cations are studied using the density functional theory and B3LYP method with 6-311++G** basis set. Also, the effects of the number and position of the substituent of fluorine atoms on the properties of the thiophene ring have been studied using optimized structures obtained for these molecules and their radical cations; vibrational frequencies, spin-density distribution, size and direction of the dipole moment vector, ionization potential, electric Polarizabilities, HOMO–LUMO gaps and NICS values of these compounds have been calculated and analyzed.

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS↗
DOE OSTI2015

Structure and spectroscopic properties of neutral and cationic tetratomic [C,H,N,Zn] isomers: A theoretical study

The structure and spectroscopic parameters of the most relevant [C,H,N,Zn] isomers have been studied employing high-level quantum chemical methods. For each isomer, we provide predictions for their molecular structure, thermodynamic stabilities as well as vibrational and rotational spectroscopic parameters which could eventually help in their experimental detection. In addition, we have carried out a detailed study of the bonding situations by means of a topological analysis of the electron density in the framework of the Bader’s quantum theory of atoms in molecules. The analysis of the relative stabilities and spectroscopic parameters suggests two linear isomers of the neutral [C,H,N,Zn] composition, namely, cyanidehydridezinc HZnCN ({sup 1}Σ) and hydrideisocyanidezinc HZnNC ({sup 1}Σ), as possible candidates for experimental detections. For the cationic [C,H,N,Zn]{sup +} composition, the most stable isomers are the ion-molecule complexes arising from the direct interaction of the zinc cation with either the nitrogen or carbon atom of either hydrogen cyanide or hydrogen isocyanide, namely, HCNZn{sup +} ({sup 2}Σ) and HCNZn{sup +} ({sup 2}Σ)

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Effects of cation concentration on photocatalytic performance over magnesium vanadates

A series of magnesium vanadates (MgV {sub 2}O{sub 6}, Mg{sub 2}V {sub 2}O{sub 7}, and Mg{sub 3}V {sub 2}O{sub 8}) were synthesized to investigate the effect of cation concentration on photocatalytic performance. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, field emission-scanning electron microscopy, UV-visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, and fluorescence spectroscopy. The photocatalytic O{sub 2} evolution experiments under visible light irradiation showed Mg{sub 2}V {sub 2}O{sub 7} exhibits the best performance, while Mg{sub 3}V {sub 2}O{sub 8} has the lowest activity. The density functional theory calculations indicated that the lowest unoccupied states of Mg{sub 3}V {sub 2}O{sub 8} are the mostly localized by the cation layers. The fluorescence spectra and fluorescence decay curves gave evident performances of excited states of magnesium vanadates and pointed out MgV {sub 2}O{sub 6} has a very short excited electron lift-time. Mg{sub 2}V {sub 2}O{sub 7} performs high photocatalytic activity because of its high electron mobility and long electron life-time.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Influences of the propyl group on the van der Waals structures of 4-propylaniline complexes with one and two argon atoms studied by electronic and cationic spectroscopy

4-propylaniline complexes with one and two argon atoms formed in the molecular beam were studied in the first excited electronic state, S{sub 1}, using resonance enhanced two-photon ionization spectroscopy and in the cation ground state, D{sub 0}, using mass analyzed threshold ionization spectroscopy. The combination of electronic and cationic spectra of the clusters allows two conformations to be identified in both aniline-Ar{sub 1} and aniline-Ar{sub 2}, which are assigned to either the gauche configuration or anti-configuration of 4-propylaniline. The gauche isomer exhibits complex bands shifted 29 cm{sup −1} and 89 cm{sup −1} from the S{sub 1} origin bands and 83 cm{sup −1} and 148 cm{sup −1} from the ionization potential assigned to the Ar{sub 1} and Ar{sub 2} complexes, respectively. For the anti-rotamer, the corresponding shifts actually become nearly additive, 53 cm{sup −1} and 109 cm{sup −1} for the S{sub 1} origin bands, and 61 cm{sup −1} and 125 cm{sup −1} for the ionization potentials. Ab initio calculations provide insights into the influences of the propyl and amino groups on the positions of the argon atoms within the clusters. In addition, the binding energy of one argon with the gauche isomer of 4-propylaniline has been measured to be 550 ± 5 cm{sup −1} in the D{sub 0} state, 496 ± 5 cm{sup −1} in the S{sub 1} state, and 467 ± 5 cm{sup −1} in the neutral ground state, S{sub 0}.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Fabrication of cation-doped BaTaO{sub 2}N photoanodes for efficient photoelectrochemical water splitting under visible light irradiation

A series of cation-doped BaTaO{sub 2}N particle was synthesized to control the donor density in the bulk for improving the performance of photoelectrochemical water splitting on porous BaTaO{sub 2}N photoanodes under visible light. Among the dopants (Mo{sup 6+}, W{sup 6+}, Zr{sup 4+}, and Ti{sup 4+}) examined, Mo{sup 6+} cations can be introduced into the Ta{sup 5+} site up to 5 mol. % without producing any impurity phases; the donor density of BaTaO{sub 2}N was indeed increased significantly by introducing higher ratio of Mo{sup 6+} dopant. The porous photoanodes of Mo-doped BaTaO{sub 2}N showed much higher photocurrent than others including undoped one and also exhibited much improved performance in photoelectrochemical water splitting into H{sub 2} and O{sub 2} after loaded with cobalt oxide cocatalyst and coupled with Pt counter electrode.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Quantum dynamics on a three-sheeted six-dimensional ab initio potential-energy surface of the phosphine cation: Simulation of the photoelectron spectrum and the ultrafast radiationless decay dynamics

A diabatic three-sheeted six-dimensional potential-energy surface has been constructed for the ground state and the lowest excited state of the PH{sub 3}{sup +} cation. Coupling terms of Jahn-Teller and pseudo-Jahn-Teller origin up to eighth order had to be included to describe the pronounced anharmonicity of the surface due to multiple conical intersections. The parameters of the diabatic Hamiltonian have been optimized by fitting the eigenvalues of the potential-energy matrix to ab initio data calculated at the CASSCF/MRCI level employing the correlation-consistent triple-ζ basis. The theoretical photoelectron spectrum of phosphine and the non-adiabatic nuclear dynamics of the phosphine cation have been computed by propagating nuclear wave packets with the multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree method. The theoretical photoelectron bands obtained by Fourier transformation of the autocorrelation function agree well with the experimental results. It is shown that the ultrafast non-radiative decay dynamics of the first excited state of PH{sub 3}{sup +} is dominated by the exceptionally strong Jahn-Teller coupling of the asymmetric bending vibrational mode together with a hyperline of conical intersections with the electronic ground state induced by the umbrella mode. Time-dependent population probabilities have been computed for the three adiabatic electronic states. The non-adiabatic Jahn-Teller dynamics within the excited state takes place within ≈5 fs. Almost 80% of the excited-state population decay to the ground state within about 10 fs. The wave packets become highly complex and delocalized after 20 fs and no further significant transfer of electronic population seems to occur up to 100 fs propagation time.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2015

Quasielastic neutron scattering studies on glass-forming ionic liquids with imidazolium cations

Relaxation processes for imidazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs) were investigated by means of an incoherent quasielastic neutron scattering technique. In order to clarify the cation and anion effects on the relaxation processes, ten samples were measured. For all of the samples, we found three relaxations at around 1 ps, 10 ps, and 100 ps-10 ns, each corresponding to the alkyl reorientation, the relaxation related to the imidazolium ring, and the ionic diffusion. The activation energy (E{sub a}) for the alkyl relaxation is insensitive to both anion and alkyl chain lengths. On the other hand, for the imidazolium relaxation and the ionic diffusion processes, E{sub a} increases as the anion size decreases but is almost independent of the alkyl chain length. This indicates that the ionic diffusion and imidazolium relaxation are governed by the Coulombic interaction between the core parts of the cations (imidazolium ring) and the anions. This is consistent with the fact that the imidazolium-based ILs have nanometer scale structures consisting of ionic and neutral (alkyl chain) domains. It is also found that there is a clear correlation between the ionic diffusion and viscosity, indicating that the ionic diffusion is mainly associated with the glass transition which is one of the characteristics of imidazolium-based ILs.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2016

Effect of crystal structure and cationic order on phonon modes across ferroelectric phase transformation in Pb(Fe{sub 0.5-x}Sc{sub x}Nb{sub 0.5})O{sub 3} bulk ceramics

Pb(Fe{sub 0.5-x}Sc{sub x}Nb{sub 0.5})O{sub 3} [(PFSN) (0 ≤ x ≤ 0.5)] multiferroic relaxors were synthesized and the temperature dependence of phonon modes across ferroelectric to paraelectric transition was studied. With varying Sc content from x = 0 to 0.25 the structure remains monoclinic and with further addition (x = 0.3 - 0.5) the structure transforms into rhombohedral symmetry. Structural refinement studies showed that the change in crystal structure from monoclinic to rhombohedral symmetry involves a volume increment of 34-36%. Associated changes in the tolerance factor (1.024 ≤ t ≤ 0.976) and bond angles were observed. Structure assisted B′-B″ cation ordering was confirmed through the superlattice reflections in selected area electron diffraction (SAED) pattern of Pb(Sc{sub 0.5}Nb{sub 0.5})O{sub 3} (x = 0.5). Cation ordering is also evident from the evolution of Pb-O phonon mode in Raman spectra of compositions with rhombohedral symmetry (x ≥ 0.3). The high temperature Raman scattering studies show that the B-localized mode [F{sub 1u}, ∼250 cm{sup −1}] and BO{sub 6} octahedral rotational mode [F{sub 1g}, ∼200 cm{sup −1}], both originating from polar nano regions (PNRs) behave like coupled phonon modes in rhombohedral symmetry. However, in monoclinic symmetry they behave independently across the transition. Softening of B localized mode across the transition followed by the hardening for all compositions confirms the diffusive nature of the ferroelectric transformation. The presence of correlation between the B localized and BO{sub 6} rotational modes introduces a weak relaxor feature for systems with rhombohedral symmetry in PFSN ceramics, which was confirmed from the macroscopic dielectric studies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗