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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 685 records · Page 38
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2017

Crystal structure, homogeneity range and electronic structure of rhombohedral γ-Mn 5 Al 8

Here, the γ-region of the Mn–Al phase diagram between 45 and 70 at.% Al was re-investigated by a combination of powder and single crystal X-ray diffraction as well as EDS analysis to establish the distribution of Mn and Al atoms. Single crystals of γ-Mn 5–x Al 8+x were grown using Sn-flux at 650 °C. The crystal structure, atomic coordinates and site occupancy parameters of γ-Mn 5–x Al 8+x phases were refined from single crystal X-ray data. The γ-Mn 5-x Al 8+x phase adopts the rhombohedral Cr 5 Al 8 -type structure rather than a cubic γ-brass structure. The refined compositions from two crystals extracted from the Al-rich and Mn-rich sides are, respectively, Mn 4.76 Al 8.24(2) (I) and Mn 6.32 Al 6.68(2) (II). The structure was refined in the acentric R3m space group (No.160, Z=6), in order to compare with other reported rhombohedral γ-brasses. In addition, according to X-ray powder diffraction analysis, at the Al-rich side the γ-phase coexists with LT–Mn 4 Al 11 and, at the Mn-rich side, with a hitherto unknown phase. The refined lattice parameters from powder patterns fall in the range a=12.6814(7)–12.6012(5) Å and c=7.9444(2)–7.9311(2) Å from Al-rich to Mn-rich loadings, and the corresponding rhombohedral angles distorted from a pseudo-cubic cell were found to be 89.1(1)°–88.9(1)°. Magnetic susceptibility and magnetization studies of Mn 4.92 Al 8.08(2) are consistent with moment bearing Mn and suggest a spin glass state below 27 K. Tight-binding electronic structure calculations (LMTO-ASA with LSDA) showed that the calculated Fermi level for γ-“Mn 5 Al 8 ” falls within a pseudogap of the density of states, a result which is in accordance with a Hume-Rothery stabilization mechanism γ-brass type phases.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Crystal Structure and Characterization of Human Heavy-Chain Only Antibodies Reveals a Novel, Stable Dimeric Structure Similar to Monoclonal Antibodies

We report the novel crystal structure and characterization of symmetrical, homodimeric humanized heavy-chain-only antibodies or dimers (HC2s). HC2s were found to be significantly coexpressed and secreted along with mAbs from transient CHO HC/LC cotransfection, resulting in an unacceptable mAb developability attribute. Expression of full-length HC2s in the absence of LC followed by purification resulted in HC2s with high purity and thermal stability similar to conventional mAbs. The V H and C H 1 portion of the heavy chain (or Fd) was also efficiently expressed and yielded a stable, covalent, and reducible dimer (Fd2). Mutagenesis of all heavy chain cysteines involved in disulfide bond formation revealed that Fd2 intermolecular disulfide formation was similar to Fabs and elucidated requirements for Fd2 folding and expression. For one HC2, we solved the crystal structure of the Fd2 domain to 2.9 Å, revealing a highly symmetrical homodimer that is structurally similar to Fabs and is mediated by conserved (C H 1) and variable (V H ) contacts with all CDRs positioned outward for target binding. Interfacial dimer contacts revealed by the crystal structure were mutated for two HC2s and were found to dramatically affect HC2 formation while maintaining mAb bioactivity, offering a potential means to modulate novel HC2 formation through engineering. These findings indicate that human heavy-chain dimers can be secreted efficiently in the absence of light chains, may show good physicochemical properties and stability, are structurally similar to Fabs, offer insights into their mechanism of formation, and may be amenable as a novel therapeutic modality.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Structure and Potential–Dependent Selectivity in Redox–Metallopolymers: Electrochemically Mediated Multicomponent Metal Separations

Electro-responsive functional materials can play a critical role in selective metal recovery and recycling due to the need for molecular differentiation between transition metals in complex mixtures. Redox-active metallopolymers are a promising platform for electrochemical separations, offering versatile structural tuning and fast electron transfer. First, through a judicious selection of polymer structure between a main-chain metallopolymer (polyferrocenylsilane) and a pendant-group metallopolymer (polyvinylferrocene), charge-transfer interactions and binding strength toward competing metal ions are tuned, which as a result, dictate selectivity. For example, almost an order of magnitude increase in separation factor between chromate and meta-vanadate can be achieved, depending on polymer structure. Second, these metallopolymer electrodes exhibit potential-dependent selectivity that can even flip ion preference, based solely on electrical means—indicating a control parameter that is orthogonal to structural modifications. Finally, this work presents a framework for evaluating electrochemical separations in multicomponent ion mixtures and elucidates the underlying charge-transfer mechanisms resulting in molecular selectivity through a combination of spectroscopy and electronic structure calculations. Furthermore, the findings demonstrate the applicability of redox-metallopolymers in tailored electrochemical separations for environmental remediation, value-added metal recovery, waste recycling, and even mining processing.

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

Atomic Gradient Structure Alters Electronic Structure in 3D across the Bulk and Enhances Photoactivity

Abstract Understanding structure–function relationships enables the design of materials with tailored functionalities. The long‐standing challenge is to design materials with high active volume to improve efficiency. Tailored grain boundaries and lattice defects are traditionally used to tune the electronic structure near interfaces or defects to promote electron and hole separation. However, the active volume of point defect sites or interfaces in these traditional photocatalysts is extremely low. This study reports a structure with continuous atomic positional deformation across the bulk, altering the electronic structure in 3D and creating a significantly higher active volume. Such a structure in anatase is obtained and tuned by phase transformation during the heating process. Transmission electron microscopy and density functional theory results reveal that atomic deformations result in continuous band bending across the particles, facilitating electron–hole separation, inhibiting their recombination, and inducing dramatically enhanced photoactivity. These findings enable a different materials design paradigm that can potentially be harnessed for a broad range of applications.

Ren, Peng↗
DOE OSTI2023

Cation Adaptive Structures Based on Manganese Cyanide Prussian Blue Analogues: Application of Powder Diffraction Data to Solve Complex, Unprecedented Stoichiometries and New Structure Types

Abstract A Mn(II) salt and A + CN − under anaerobic conditions react to form 2‐D and 3‐D extended structured compounds of A m Mn II n (CN) m+2n stoichiometry. Here, the creation and characterization of this large family of compounds, for example AMn II 3 (CN) 7 , A 2 Mn II 3 (CN) 8 , A 2 Mn II 5 (CN) 12 , A 3 Mn II 5 (CN) 13 , and A 2 Mn II [Mn II (CN) 6 ], where A represents alkali and tetraalkylammonium cations, is reviewed. Cs 2 Mn II [Mn II (CN) 6 ] has the typical Prussian blue face centered cubic unit cell. However, the other alkali salts are monoclinic or rhombohedral. This is in accord with smaller alkali cation radii creating void space that is minimized by increasing the van der Waals stabilization energy by reducing ∠Mn−N≡C, which, strengthens the magnetic coupling and increases the magnetic ordering temperatures. This is attributed to the non‐rigidity of the framework structure due the significant ionic character associated with the high‐spin Mn II sites. For larger tetraalkylammonium cations, the high‐spin Mn sites lack sufficient electrostatic A + ⋅⋅⋅NC stabilization and form unexpected 4‐ and 5‐coordinated Mn sites within a flexible, extended framework around the cation; hence, the size, shape, and charge of the cation dictate the unprecedented stoichio‐metry and unpredictable cation adaptive structures. Antiferromagnetic coupling between adjacent Mn II sites leads to ferrimagnetic ordering, but in some cases antiferromagnetic coupling of ferrimagnetic layers are compensated and synthetic antiferromagnets are observed. The magnetic ordering temperatures for ferrimagnetic A 2 Mn II [Mn II (CN) 6 ] with both octahedral high‐ and low‐spin Mn II sites increase with decreasing ∠Mn−N≡C. The crystal structures for all of the extended structured materials were obtained by powder diffraction.

Chemistry↗
DOE OSTI2016

Ultrasmall Mode Volumes in Plasmonic Cavities of Nanoparticle‐On‐Mirror Structures

The mode volume and Purcell factor are two important parameters to assess the performance of optical nanocavities. Achieving small mode volumes and high Purcell factors for nanocavity structures while simplifying their fabrication has been a major task to realize high‐performance and large‐scale photonic devices and systems. Different optical resonators based on nanoparticle‐on‐mirror (NPoM) structures are systematically analyzed, which are easy to fabricate and flexible to use. Direct comparison of these optical resonators is made through finite‐difference time‐domain (FDTD) simulations. The achievement of ultrasmall mode volumes below 10 −7 based on the NPoM structure through FDTD simulations is demonstrated by rationally selecting the structural parameters. Such NPoM structures provide a decent Purcell factor on the order of 10 7 , which can effectively enhance spontaneous emission and facilitate a number of photonic applications. The simulation results are confirmed by dark field scattering and second‐harmonic generation measurements. This work is scientifically important and offers practical guidelines for the design of optical resonators for state‐of‐the‐art optical and photonic devices.

Huang, Shengxi↗
DOE OSTI2020

Synthesis, Crystal and Electronic Structure of Layered AM Sb Compounds ( A = Rb, Cs; M = Zn, Cd): Synthesis, Crystal and Electronic Structure of Layered AM Sb Compounds ( A = Rb, Cs; M = Zn, Cd)

Synthesis, crystal structure, thermal stability, and electronic band structure of four new metal antimonides AMSb (A = Rb, Cs; M = Zn, Cd) are reported. CsZnSb and RbZnSb crystallize in the hexagonal ZrBeSi structure type, in a P6 3 /mmc space group (no. 194, Z = 2) and unit cell dimensions of a = 4.5588(2)/4.5466(4) Å and c = 11.9246(6)/11.0999(10) Å. CsCdSb and RbCdSb crystallize in the tetragonal PbFCl structure type in a P4/nmm space group (no. 129; Z = 2) and unit cell parameters of a = 4.8884(5)/4.8227(3) Å and c = 8.8897(9)/8.5492(7) Å. All four compounds are air- and water-sensitive and are shown through DSC measurements to decompose between 975 K and 1060 K. Analysis of the calculated electronic band structure shows that the Zn-containing antimonides are topologically trivial narrow bandgap semiconductors, whereas Cd-containing compounds exhibit a band inversion along Γ-Z direction.

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

Process–structure–property relationships in bimodal machined microstructures using robust structure descriptors

Machining is a severe plastic deformation process that subjects materials to high rates of deformation and elevated temperatures. Dynamic recrystallization during severe plastic deformation drives grain refinement into the sub-micron range but the ductility and thermal stability of these structures is poor. In contrast, bimodal microstructures consisting of both fine and coarse grains have been shown to exhibit attractive strength and ductility properties at these temperatures. In this paper, we study the process–structure–property relationships for pure copper subject to a machining process where the cutting speeds are varied. Further, we investigate the role of thermal effects by varying the post-deformation cooling rates. Microstructures generated under these deformation conditions are quantified using angularly resolved chord length statistics. The derived metrics are found to be robust descriptors of the studied microstructures as they automatically capture complex features such as unimodal and bimodal distributions of grain structure, grain constituent length scales, and morphological anisotropy induced by shear deformation. The uniaxial equivalent yield strength of the generated structures are estimated using spherical nanoindentation and inverse modeling techniques. Lastly, we present a methodology for identifying the constrained property-process inverse mapping for machining using a Bayesian framework and the established forward process–structure–property mapping.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2015

Structures of Human CCL18, CCL3, and CCL4 Reveal Molecular Determinants for Quaternary Structures and Sensitivity to Insulin-Degrading Enzyme

CC chemokine ligands (CCL) are 8-14 kDa signaling proteins involved in diverse immune functions. While CCLs share similar tertiary structures, oligomerization produces highly diverse quaternary structures that protect chemokines from proteolytic degradation and modulate their functions. CCL18 is closely related to CCL3 and CCL4 with respect to both protein sequence and genomic location, yet CCL18 has distinct biochemical and biophysical properties. Here in this paper, we report a crystal structure of human CCL18 and its oligomerization states in solution based on crystallographic and small angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) analyses. Our data shows that CCL18 adopts an α-helical conformation at its N-terminus that weakens its dimerization, explaining CCL18’s preference for the monomeric state. Multiple contacts between monomers allow CCL18 to reversibly form a unique open-ended oligomer different from those of CCL3, CCL4, and CCL5. Furthermore, these differences hinge on proline 8, which is conserved in CCL3 and CCL4, but is replaced by lysine in human CCL18. Our structural analyses suggest that a proline 8 to alanine mutation stabilizes a type I β-turn at the N-terminus of CCL4 to prevent dimerization but prevents dimers from making key contacts with each other in CCL3. Thus, the P8A mutation induces depolymerization of CCL3 and CCL4 by distinct mechanisms. Finally, we used structural, biochemical, and functional analyses to unravel why insulin-degrading enzyme (IDE) degrades CCL3 and CCL4 but not CCL18. Lastly, our results elucidate the molecular basis for the oligomerization of three closely related CC chemokines and suggest how oligomerization shapes CCL chemokine function.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Insights from the Structure of Mycobacterium tuberculosis Topoisomerase I with a Novel Protein Fold

The DNA topoisomerase I enzyme of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MtTOP1) is essential for the viability of the organism and survival in a murine model. This topoisomerase is being pursued as a novel target for the discovery of new therapeutic agents for the treatment of drug-resistant tuberculosis. In this study, we succeeded in obtaining a structure of MtTOP1 by first predicting that the C-terminal region of MtTOP1 contains four repeated domains that do not involve the Zn-binding tetracysteine motifs seen in the C-terminal domains of Escherichia coli topoisomerase I. A construct (amino acids A2-T704), MtTOP1-704t, that includes the N-terminal domains (D1-D4) and the first predicted C-terminal domain (D5) of MtTOP1 was expressed and found to retain DNA cleavage-religation activity and catalyze single-stranded DNA catenation. MtTOP1-704t was crystallized, and a structure of 2.52 angstrom resolution limit was obtained. The structure of the MtTOP1 N-terminal domains has features that have not been observed in other previously available bacterial topoisomerase I crystal structures. The first C-terminal domain D5 forms a novel protein fold of a four-stranded antiparallel beta-sheet stabilized by a crossing-over alpha-helix. Since there is only one type IA topoisomerase present in Mycobacteriaceae and related Actinobacteria, this subfamily of type IA topoisomerase may be required for multiple functions in DNA replication, transcription, recombination, and repair. The unique structural features observed for MtTOP1 may allow these topoisomerase I enzymes to carry out physiological functions associated with topoisomerase III enzyme in other bacteria.

crystallization↗
DOE OSTI2018

First principles study of the structural, electronic, and optical properties of Sn 2+ -doped ZnO–P 2 O 5 glasses [First principles study of the structural, electronic and optical properties of Sn-doped ZnO-P2O5 glasses]

The atomic-structural, electronic, and optical properties of Sn-doped ZnO–P 2 O 5 glasses are examined using combined semi-empirical and density functional theory calculations. From model structures for two different ZnO–P 2 O 5 glass compositions, it is found that these glasses consist of nearly ideal tetrahedral PO 4 unit and largely distorted ZnO 4 and ZnO 5 units. The concentration of ZnO 5 units is calculated to increase and exceed that of ZnO 4 as the amount of ZnO in the glass is increased. Also, the concentration of terminal oxygen atoms shared by two Zn neighbors is largely increased for 70ZnO:30P 2 O 5 (70:30) glass compared to 60:40 glass, which can be rationalized by electrostatic bond strength calculations. Regarding medium-range order, calculations show that Q 1 and Q 2 structures (where Q n refers to structures containing n bridging oxygen atoms on PO 4 tetrahedra) are dominant for the 60:40 glass, while Q 0 and Q 1 prevail for the 70:30 glass, in good agreement with experimental observations. For the Sn-doped ZnO–P 2 O 5 glass, various Sn coordination geometries are found, with trigonal pyramidal SnO 3 and largely distorted pyramidal SnO 4 configurations being dominant and a small fraction of two-fold and five-fold coordinated Sn configurations also present. From combined cluster and glass model calculations, two-fold coordinated Sn are found to exhibit slightly smaller optical transition energy than three-fold and four-fold coordinated Sn. However, local variations in coordination structures throughout the glass likely result in a broad singlet transition (S 0 →S 1 ) around 5.4 eV for all the different Sn configurations. Finally, a triplet transition (S 0 →T 1 ) driven by spin-orbit coupling can occur around 4.5 – 4.8 eV, but the magnitude of this transition is predicted to be much smaller than the spin-allowed singlet transition.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗