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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 73 records · Page 4

Introduction of π-Complexation into Porous Aromatic Framework for Highly Selective Adsorption of Ethylene over Ethane

We report herein a strategy of incorporating air stable Ag(I) ions into water stable, high surface area porous organic polymer (POP) affording significant increase in ethylene uptake capacity and extremely high Qst for ethylene (over 100 kJ/mol at low ethylene load-ing) as illustrated in the context of Ag(I) ion functionalized PAF-1, PAF-1-SO3Ag. IAST calculations using single-component-isotherm data and equimolar ethylene/ethane ratio at 296 K reveal PAF-1-SO3Ag shows exceptionally high ethylene/ethane adsorption selectivi-ty (Sads: 27 to 125), far surpassing benchmark zeolite and any other MOF reported in literature. This alongside excellent water/air stability, high ethylene uptake capacity, and mild regeneration requirements make PAF-1-SO3Ag hold promise for adsorption-based eth-ylene/ethane separations, paving a way to develop Ag(I) ion function-alized POPs as a new platform for highly selective adsorption of eth-ylene over ethane.

Li, Baiyan↗

A comparative study of surface energies and water adsorption on Ce-bastnäsite, La-bastnäsite, and calcite via density functional theory and water adsorption calorimetry

Bastnäsite, a fluoro-carbonate mineral, is the single largest mineral source of light rare earth elements (REE), La, Ce and Nd. Enhancing the efficiency of separation of the mineral from gangue through froth flotation is the first step towards meeting an ever increasing demand for REE. To design and evaluate collector molecules that selectively bind to bastnäsite, a fundamental understanding of the structure and surface properties of bastnäsite is essential. In our earlier work (J Phys Chem C, 2016, 120, 16767), we carried out an extensive study of the structure, surface stability and water adsorption energies of La-bastnäsite. Here in this work, we make a comparative study of the surface properties of Ce-bastnäsite, La-bastnäsite, and calcite using a combination of density functional theory (DFT) and water adsorption calorimetry. Spin polarized DFT+U calculations show that the exchange interaction between the electrons in Ce 4f orbitals is negligible and that these orbitals do not participate in bonding with the oxygen atom of the adsorbed water molecule. In agreement with calorimetry, DFT calculations predict larger surface energies and stronger water adsorption energies on Ce-bastnäsite than on La-bastnäsite. The order of stabilities for stoichiometric surfaces is as follows: [100] > [101] > [102] > [0001] > [112] > [104] and the most favorable adsorption sites for water molecules are the same as for La-bastnäsite. In agreement with water adsorption calorimetry, at low coverage water molecules are strongly stabilized via coordination to the surface Ce3+ ions, whereas at higher coverage they are adsorbed less strongly via hydrogen bonding interaction with the surface anions. Lastly, due to similar water adsorption energies on bastnäsite [101] and calcite [104] surfaces, the design of collector molecules that selectively bind to bastnäsite over calcite must exploit the structural differences in the predominantly exposed facets of these minerals.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Lattice expansion and ligand twist during CO2 adsorption in flexible Cu bipyridine metal–organic frameworks

Flexible metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) can show exceptional selectivity and capacity for adsorption of CO 2 . The incorporation of CO 2 into flexible MOFs that have Cu 2+ coordination centers and organic pillar ligands is accompanied by a distortion of the framework lattice arising from chemical interactions between these components and CO 2 molecules. CO 2 adsorption yields a reproducible lattice expansion that is enabled by the rotation of the pillar ligands. The structures of Cu 2 (pzdc) 2 (bpy) and Cu 2 (pzdc) 2 (bpe), CPL-2 and CPL-5, were evaluated using in situ synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction at room temperature at CO 2 gas pressures up to 50 atm. The structural parameters exhibit hysteresis between pressurization and depressurization. The pore volume within CPL-2 and CPL-5 increases at elevated CO 2 pressure due to a combination of the pillar ligand rotation and the overall expansion of the lattice. Volumetric CO 2 adsorption measurements up to 50 atm reveal adsorption behavior consistent with the structural results, including a rapid uptake of CO 2 at low pressure, saturation above 20 atm, and hysteresis evident as a retention of CO 2 during depressurization. Finally, a significantly greater CO 2 uptake is observed in CPL-5 in comparison with predictions based on CO 2 pressure-induced expansion of the pore volume available for adsorption, indicating that the flexibility of the CPL structures is a key factor in enhancing adsorption capacity.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Prediction of hydrogen adsorption in nanoporous materials from the energy distribution of adsorption sites

We present a fast and accurate, semi-analytical method for predicting hydrogen adsorption in nanoporous materials. For any temperature and pressure, the adsorbed amount is calculated as an integral over the energy density of adsorption sites (guest-host interactions) plus an average guest-guest term. The guest-host interaction energy is calculated using a classical force field with hydrogen modelled as a single-site probe. The guest-guest interaction energy is approximated using an average coordination number, which is regressed using Gaussian Process Regression (GPR). Local adsorption at each site is then modelled using a Langmuir isotherm, which when weighted with its probability density gives an accurate description of hydrogen adsorption. The method is tested on 933 metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) from the Computation-Ready Experimental (CoRE) MOF database at 77 K from 10 –5 to 100 bar, and the results are compared against GCMC predictions. To demonstrate the utility of the method, we calculated hydrogen adsorption isotherms for 12,914 existing MOF structures, at two different temperatures at a speed about 100 times that of GCMC simulations and analyzed the results. Here, we found 13 MOFs with predicted deliverable capacities exceeding the DOE target of 50 g/L for adsorption at 100 bar, 77 K and desorption at 5 bar, 160 K.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Nonane and Hexanol Adsorption in the Lamellar Phase of a Nonionic Surfactant: Molecular Simulations and Comparison to Ideal Adsorbed Solution Theory

Adsorption of n-nonane/1-hexanol (C9/C6OH) mixtures into the lamellar phase formed by a 50/50 w/w triethylene glycol mono-n-decyl ether (C10E3)/water system was studied using configurational-bias Monte Carlo simulations in the osmotic Gibbs ensemble. The interactions were described by the Shinoda–Devane–Klein coarse-grained force field. Prior simulations probing single-component adsorption indicated that C9 molecules preferentially load near the center of the bilayer increasing the bilayer thickness, whereas C6OH molecules are more likely to be found near the interface of the polar and non-polar moieties swelling the bilayer in the lateral dimension. Here, we extend this work to binary C9/C6OH adsorption to probe whether the difference in the spatial preferences may lead to a synergistic effect and enhanced loadings for the mixture. Comparing loading trends and the thermodynamics of binary adsorption to unary adsorption reveals that C9–C9 interactions lead to the largest enhancement, whereas C9–C6OH and C6OH–C6OH interactions are less favorable for this bilayer system. As a result, ideal adsorbed solution theory yields satisfactory predictions of the binary loading.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Adsorption Properties of Au−Ni Surface Alloys with a Nonstoichiometric Moiré Structure: A Density Functional Theory Study

Due to the large lattice mismatch between gold and nickel, gold–nickel surface alloys can form unique nonstoichiometric overlayer structures characterized by a moiré pattern and subsurface defects. For this work, we performed density functional theory (DFT) calculations to study the adsorption of molecular oxygen, atomic hydrogen, and atomic carbon on a gold–nickel(111) surface alloy with 0.46 monolayer gold randomly distributed in the surface layer. We observed six distinct adsorption structures for molecular oxygen characterized by intramolecular stretching frequencies of <700, 729, 795, 857, 929, and 1004 cm –1 , which describe well the experimentally observed high-resolution electron energy-loss spectra. Surface atomic hydrogen adsorption is associated with adsorbate–surface modes in the ∼1000 cm –1 range, while subsurface hydrogen can have features as low as ∼400 cm –1 . We observed a unique adsorption structure for atomic carbon inside the surface dislocation loop defect, which explains the experimentally observed low carbon-surface mode at ∼340 cm –1 . Our study sheds light on the unique adsorption properties of the gold–nickel surface alloys and helps with rationalizing vibrational frequency experimental studies for this system.

adsorption↗

Summary of Adsorption Capacity and Adsorption Kinetics of Uranium and Other Elements on Amidoxime-based Adsorbents from Time Series Marine Testing at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) has been conducting marine testing of uranium adsorbent materials for the Fuel Resources Program, Department of Energy, Office of Nuclear Energy (DOE-NE) beginning in FY 2012. The marine testing program is being conducted at PNNL’s Marine Sciences Laboratory (MSL), located at Sequim Bay, along the coast of Washington. One of the main efforts of the marine testing program is the determination of adsorption capacity and adsorption kinetics for uranium and selected other elements (e.g. vanadium, iron, copper, nickel, and zinc) for adsorbent materials provided primarily by Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), but also includes other Fuel Resources Program participants. This report summarizes the major marine testing results that have been obtained to date using time series sampling for 42 to 56 days using either flow-through column or recirculating flume exposures. The major results are highlighted in this report, and the full data sets are appended as a series of Excel spreadsheet files. Over the four year period (2012-2016) that marine testing of amidoxime-based polymeric adsorbents was conducted at PNNL’s Marine Science Laboratory, there has been a steady progression of improvement in the 56-day adsorbent capacity from 3.30 g U/kg adsorbent for the ORNL 38H adsorbent to the current best performing adsorbent prepared by a collaboration between the University of Tennessee and ORNL to produce the adsorbent SB12-8, which has an adsorption capacity of 6.56 g U/kg adsorbent. This nearly doubling of the adsorption capacity in four years is a significant advancement in amidoxime-based adsorbent technology and a significant achievement for the Uranium from Seawater program. The achievements are evident when compared to the several decades of work conducted by the Japanese scientists beginning in the 1980’s (Kim et al., 2013). The best adsorbent capacity reported by the Japanese scientists was 3.2 g U/kg adsorbent for a 180 day deployment at temperatures between 15 and 25 °C (Kim et al., 2013) The majority of the capacities the Japanese scientists reported were less than 2 g U/kg adsorbent (Kim et al., 2013). Repeated time series measurements of a common formulation of amidoxime-based adsorbent, the ORNL AF series, by both flow-through column (3.91 ± 0.11 g U/kg adsorbent). and recirculating flume exposures (4.03 ± 0.12 g U/kg adsorbent) produced 56-day adsorption capacities that agreed extremely well. This excellent agreement generates confidence that the testing procedures are accurate and reliable, and, moreover, that the technology to produce the adsorbents is highly reliable and reproducible, lending additional confidence of the robustness and homogeneity of the production technology.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Methane adsorption on various metal-organic frameworks and determination of the average adsorption heats at supercritical temperatures and pressures

Adsorption of methane on three samples of metal-organic framework structures (MOF), which contain copper, aluminum or zinc atoms, was measured at temperatures ranging from 303 to 333 K and pressures up to 40 MPa using a precise volumetric-gravimetric unit. The determined values of adsorption volumes and characteristic energies served to evaluate the average heats of adsorption, which were compared to the average isosteric heats of adsorption.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

An In-Situ Neutron Diffraction and DFT Study of Hydrogen Adsorption in a Sodalite-Type Metal-Organic Framework, Cu-BTTri: An In-Situ Neutron Diffraction and DFT Study of Hydrogen Adsorption in a Sodalite-Type Metal-Organic Framework, Cu-BTTri

Herein we present a detailed study of the hydrogen adsorption properties of Cu-BTTri, a robust crystalline metal-organic framework containing open metal-coordination sites. Diffraction techniques, carried out on the activated framework, reveal a structure that is different from what was previously reported. Further, combining standard hydrogen adsorption measurements with in-situ neutron diffraction techniques provides molecular level insight into the hydrogen adsorption process. The diffraction experiments unveil the location of four D2 adsorption sites in Cu-BTTri and shed light on the structural features that promote hydrogen adsorption in this material. Density functional theory (DFT), used to predict the location and strength of binding sites, corroborate the experimental findings. By decomposing binding energies in different sites in various energetic contributions, we show that van der Waals interactions play a crucial role, suggesting a possible route to enhancing the binding energy around open metal coordination sites.

08 HYDROGEN↗

Impacts of Surface Site Coordination on Arsenate Adsorption: Macroscopic Uptake and Binding Mechanisms on Aluminum Hydroxide Surfaces

Aluminum hydroxides play important roles in regulating the fate and transport of contaminants and nutrients in soils and aquatic systems. Like many metal oxides, these minerals display surface functional groups in a series of coordination states, each of which may differ in its affinity for adsorbates. The distribution of functional group types varies among distinct surfaces of aluminum hydroxides, and we thus hypothesize that the adsorption behavior and mechanisms will show a dependence on particle morphology. To test this hypothesis, we investigate arsenate adsorption on two aluminum hydroxide polymorphs with distinct particle morphologies, gibbsite [γ-Al(OH) 3 ] and bayerite [α-Al(OH) 3 ], at pH 4 and 7. Synthetic gibbsite platelets expose large (001) basal surfaces predicted to be terminated by doubly coordinated functional groups (>Al 2 OH). In contrast, synthetic bayerite microrods display mainly edge surfaces (parallel to the c axis) containing abundant singly coordinated functional groups (>AlOH 2 ). Macroscopic adsorption studies show that gibbsite adsorbs less arsenate per unit surface area than bayerite at both pH values and suggest that two surface complexes form on each material. Similar electrokinetic behavior is displayed at the same relative coverages of arsenate, suggesting that similar reactive surface groups (>AlOH 2 ) control the surface charging on both particles. EXAFS spectroscopy shows that there is no variation in arsenate surface speciation on a given mineral with surface coverage or pH. Whereas bidentate binuclear inner-sphere species are the dominant complexes present, the EXAFS result suggest that outer-sphere species also occur on both minerals, with a greater abundance on gibbsite. This binding mode likely involves adsorption to >Al 2 OH sites, which have a slow ligand exchange rate that inhibits inner-sphere binding. Lastly, these results demonstrate that adsorption mechanisms and capacity, even when normalized for specific surface area, vary with metal oxide particle morphology because of the distribution of distinct functional groups.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Rare earth ion-adsorption clays in the presence of iron at basic pH: Adsorption mechanism and extraction method

In this work, the uptake mechanism and influence of iron (Fe) co-adsorption on the binding of rare-earth elements (REEs) on kaolinite have been investigated. REEs and varying concentrations of Fe were co-adsorbed onto kaolinite at pH 10.5. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were used to characterize how Fe co-adsorption influenced the uptake mechanism of REEs on kaolinite. Elemental analysis by ICP-MS revealed that the REE concentrations on kaolinite were unaffected by the presence of Fe. Crystal structure of kaolinite, determined by PXRD, was not altered after REE and Fe co-adsorption. XPS suggests that the adsorbed Fe is in the form of FeOOH, while the greatly attenuated REE XPS signals upon Fe co-adsorption implies that REEs are encapsulated by Fe species. Based on these results, we conclude that FeOOH layers were formed on top of REEs on the surface of kaolinite. Synthesized REE-Fe-kaolinite samples respond poorly to ion-exchange leaching, indicating that Fe is detrimental to the REE ion-exchange efficiency. The inhibition of ion-exchange REE extraction appears to be due to the passivating FeOOH layers. In contrast to ion-exchange methods, reductive leaching was found to dissolve the FeOOH passivating layers and liberate REEs such that they became available for ion-exchange leaching.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Adsorptive denitrogenation of model aviation fuel using mesoporous silica in a packed bed adsorption system

This study aims to understand the effects of system process parameters such as flow rate, adsorbent particle size, and use of recycled adsorbent on denitrogenation performance of a model fuel using mesoporous silica gel. The goal is to reduce the nitrogen content of the model fuel from 1500 parts per million to single-digit ppm to meet ASTM specifications for drop-in fuels. This work was done with the intent of applying adsorptive denitrogenation to sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) product fractions produced via hydrothermal liquefaction (HTL). The adsorption performance of the silica is evaluated via packed column breakthrough data, with data generated from collecting from the column outlet and quantifying nitrogen content via gas chromatography. Select experiments use a significantly larger (2.5x column diameter and length) column to demonstrate linear scalability of the process. Thermogravimetric analysis data is collected to evaluate the effects of thermal calcination as a sorbent regeneration method. Effects of a more complex feed are also investigated using a known reference fuel with additional added nitrogen containing compounds. The results presented in this work successfully demonstrate up to 99.8 % removal of NCCs from a model fuel fraction at an original NCC concentration of approximately 1500 ppm to single-digit parts per million after treatment. We also examine calcination of sorbent materials to remove the adsorbed species to enable sorbent reuse and minimize waste generation and show that the calcined material can be reused up to 5 cycles with reduced adsorption capacity. Overall, this work indicates that adsorptive denitrogenation using silica gel is a viable solution to enable the integration of HTL-derived aviation fuels into existing fuel infrastructure.

Adsorption techniques↗

Manipulating Adsorption-Insertion Mechanisms in Nanostructured Carbon Materials for High-Efficiency Sodium Ion Storage

Hard carbon is one of the most promising anode materials for sodium-ion batteries, but the low coulombic efficiency is still a key barrier. In this paper we synthesized a series of nanostructured hard carbon materials with controlled architectures. Using a combination of in-situ XRD mapping, ex-situ NMR, EPR, electrochemical techniques and simulations, an “adsorption-intercalation” (A-I) mechanism is established for Na ion storage. During the initial stages of Na insertion, Na ions adsorb on the defect sites of hard carbon with a wide adsorption energy distribution, producing a sloping voltage profile. In the second stage, Na ions intercalate into graphitic layers with suitable spacing to form NaCx compounds similar to the Li ion intercalation process in graphite, producing a flat low voltage plateau. The cation intercalation with a flat voltage plateau should be enhanced and the sloping region should be avoided. Guided by this knowledge, non-porous hard carbon material has been developed which has achieved high reversible capacity and coulombic efficiency to fulfill practical application.

Qiu, Shen↗

Temperature Dependence of Uranium and Vanadium Adsorption on Amidoxime-Based Adsorbents in Natural Seawater

Recent advances in the development of amidoxime-based adsorbents have made it highly promising for seawater uranium extraction. However, there is a great need to understand the influence of temperature on the uranium sequestration performance of the adsorbents in natural seawater. Here in this work, the apparent enthalpy and entropy of the sorption of uranium (VI) and vanadium (V) with amidoxime-based adsorbents were determined in natural seawater tests at 8, 20, and 31 °C that cover a broad range of ambient seawater temperature. The sorption of U was highly endothermic, producing apparent enthalpies of 57 ± 6.0 and 59 ± 11 kJ mol -1 and apparent entropies of 314 ± 21 and 320 ± 36 J K-1 mol -1 , respectively, for two adsorbent formulations. In contrast, the sorption of V showed a much smaller temperature sensitivity, producing apparent enthalpies of 6.1 ± 5.9 and -11 ± 5.7 kJ mol -1 and apparent entropies of 164 ± 20 and 103 ± 19 J K -1 mol -1 , respectively. This new thermodynamic information suggests that amidoxime-based adsorbents will deliver significantly increased U adsorption capacities and improved selectivity in warmer waters. A separate field study of seawater uranium adsorption conducted in a warm seawater site (Miami, FL, USA) confirm the observed strong temperature effect on seawater uranium mining. Lastly, this strong temperature dependence demonstrates that the warmer the seawater where the amidoxime-based adsorbents are deployed the greater the yield for seawater uranium extraction.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Synthesis of Carboxyl-Rich Biosorbent by UV-Induced Graft Polymerization Method for High Efficiency Adsorption of Ce{sup 3+} from Aqueous Solution: Activation and Adsorption Mechanism

Developing a cost-effective and highly efficient sorbent for the recovery of rare-earth elements from aqueous solution is still an urgent need. In this study, a novel biosorbent, carboxyl-rich pine bark (CPB), was modified by UV-induced graft polymerization method to increase the carboxyl-containing functional groups and facilitate the adsorption of Ce{sup 3+}. The grafting process was examined by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), indicating that high-density carboxyl functional groups are present on the surface of pine bark and the grafting yield of surface polymer brushes reaches up to 128%. Interestingly, the maximum adsorption capacity of Ce{sup 3+} on CPB could reach up to 256.5 mg/g. The adsorption mechanism of Ce{sup 3+} by CPB has been determined by the adsorption models and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), which can be inferred from these results that the high performance of CPB is attributed to the surface coordination between Ce{sup 3+} and hydroxyl or carbonyl groups. This work suggests that engineered surface functional groups of biomass could have an opportunity for the development of high performance rare-earth element adsorbents.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗