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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 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2019

Role of Solvation on Diffusion of Ions in Diblock Copolymers: Understanding the Molecular Weight Effect through Modeling

Salt-doped diblock copolymers with microphase-separated domains of both an ion conductive and a mechanically strong polymer have been extensively studied due to their potential in transport applications. Several unusual or counterintuitive trends regarding their transport properties have been observed experimentally, such as increasing ion conduction as a function of molecular weight. A vital feature of these systems is the strong solvation of ions in the conducting microphase due to its higher dielectric constant. Herein, we perform molecular dynamics simulations using a coarse-grained model that includes a 1/r 4 potential form to generically represent ion solvation, allowing us to reproduce experimentally observed trends and explore their molecular underpinnings. We find that increasing ion concentration can increase or decrease ion diffusion, depending on solvation strength. We further show that the trend of increasing diffusion with molecular weight becomes more dramatic as ions are solvated in one polymer block more strongly or as the ion-ion interactions get stronger. In contrast to expectations, the interfacial width or the overlap of ions with the nonconductive polymer block do not adequately explain this phenomenon; instead, local ion agglomeration best explains reduced diffusion. Interfacial sharpening, controlled by the Flory chi parameter and molecular weight, tends to allow ions to spread more uniformly, and this increases their diffusion.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Nanosecond solvation dynamics in a polymer electrolyte for lithium batteries

Solvation dynamics critically affect charge transport. Spectroscopic experiments and computer simulations show that these dynamics in aqueous systems occur on a picosecond timescale. In the case of organic electrolytes, however, conflicting values ranging from 1 to several 100 picoseconds have been reported. We resolve this conflict by studying mixtures of an organic polymer and a lithium salt. Lithium ions coordinate with multiple polymer chains, resulting in temporary crosslinks. Relaxation of these crosslinks, detected by quasielastic neutron scattering, are directly related to solvation dynamics. Simulations reveal a broad spectrum of relaxation times. The average timescale for solvation dynamics in both experiment and simulation is one nanosecond. Here we present the direct measurement of ultraslow dynamics of solvation shell break-up in an electrolyte.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Graphical Gaussian Process Regression Model for Aqueous Solvation Free Energy Prediction of Organic Molecules in Redox Flow Battery

The solvation free energy of organic molecules is a critical parameter in determining emergent properties such as solubility, liquid-phase equilibrium constants, and pKa and redox potentials in an organic redox flow battery. In this work, we present a machine learning (ML) model that can learn and predict the aqueous solvation free energy of an organic molecule using Gaussian process regression method based on a new molecular graph kernel. To investigate the performance of the ML model on electrostatic interaction, the nonpolar interaction contribution of solvent and the conformational entropy of solute in solvation free energy, three data sets with implicit or explicit water solvent models, and contribution of conformational entropy of solute are tested. We demonstrate that our ML model can predict the solvation free energy of molecules at chemical accuracy with a mean absolute error of less than 1 kcal/mol for subsets of the QM9 dataset and the Freesolv database. To solve the general data scarcity problem for a graph-based ML model, we propose a dimension reduction algorithm based on the distance between molecular graphs, which can be used to examine the diversity of the molecular data set. It provides a promising way to build a minimum training set to improve prediction for certain test sets where the space of molecular structures is predetermined.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Ultrafast pre-solvated dodecane hole capture and subsequent damage of used nuclear fuel extraction ligands DEHBA, DEH i BA, HONTA, CMPO, HEH[EHP] and TBP

Here, two classes of used nuclear fuel (UNF) extraction ligands, amide (DEHBA, DEH i BA, HONTA) and organophosphorus (CMPO, HEH[EHP], TBP), were selected to study radiation induced damage at picosecond to nanosecond timescale using electron pulse radiolysis in n-dodecane (DD) and supported by quantum chemical calculations. Spectra after radiolysis of 200 mM extraction ligands were recorded in DD/0.3 M DCM. Absorption peaks at 365, 365, 400 and 387 nm in case of DEHBA, DEH i BA, HONTA and CMPO respectively are assigned to triplet excited states. Additional absorption peaks at 420, 460 and 600 nm of DEHBA, DEH i BA and HONTA respectively were identified as due to ligand radical cations. A concentration dependent absorption peak at 600 nm in the case of CMPO was observed and assigned due to a combination of CMPO˙ + , (CMPO) 2 ˙ + and possibly a radical degradation product of CMPO. Weak absorption peaks at 650 and 550 nm in case of HEH[EHP] and TBP were observed and tentatively assigned to their radical cations. A two-component DD˙ + decay in the presence of ligands was observed due to different ligand oxidation mechanisms: ultrafast capture of pre-solvated DD holes and diffusive capture of solvated DD holes. At high extraction ligand concentrations (>100 mM), the majority of DD holes were captured via the ultrafast pre-solvated pathway in <10 ps with C 37 values of 389, 401, 270, 374, 458 and 340 mM for DEHBA, DEHiBA, HONTA, CMPO, HEH[EHP] and TBP respectively. Following ultrafast capture, the remainder of DD holes became solvated and were captured with k = (2.32 ± 0.13), (1.78 ± 0.12), (1.38 ± 0.2), (0.98 ± 0.081), (1.09 ± 0.08) and (1.77 ± 0.046) × 10 10 for DEHBA, DEH i BA, HONTA, CMPO, HEH[EHP] and TBP respectively. Subsequent hole transfer from the extraction ligands˙ + to the low IP solute tri-p-tolylamine (TTA) showed only 4–16% hole transfer, most likely indicating ligand˙ + degradation in 0.9–4.6 ns.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2023

A Systematic Study on the Effects of Solvating Solvents and Additives in Localized High‐Concentration Electrolytes over Electrochemical Performance of Lithium‐Ion Batteries

Abstract Localized high‐concentration electrolytes (LHCEs) based on five different types of solvents were systematically studied and compared in lithium (Li)‐ion batteries (LIBs). The unique solvation structure of LHCEs promotes the participation of Li salt in forming solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) on graphite (Gr) anode, which enables solvents previously considered incompatible with Gr to achieve reversible lithiation/delithiation. However, the long cyclability of LIBs is still subject to the intrinsic properties of the solvent species in LHCEs. Such issue can be readily resolved by introducing a small amount of additive into LHCEs. The synergetic decompositions of Li salt, solvating solvent and additive yield effective SEIs and cathode electrolyte interphases (CEIs) in most of the studied LHCEs. This study reveals that both the structure and the composition of solvation sheaths in LHCEs have significant effect on SEI and CEI, and consequently, the cycle life of energetically dense LIBs.

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

Emergent solvation phenomena in non-aqueous electrolytes with multiple anions

As the search for new battery chemistries with higher capacities and more stable supply chains expands, requiring increasingly complex electrolytes with multiple solvents and anions, it is becoming clear that understanding and controlling the working cation solvation structure is key to enabling improved stability and reversibility. In this work, we discover an emergent solvation behavior in multivalent electrolytes containing multiple anions, where bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl) imide (TFSI⁻) anions that are fully dissociated in isolation form contact ion pairs with Zn 2+ when combined with more strongly coordinating halides. This coordination modifies the electrochemical response, activating additional redox species as the halide association strength weakens (i.e., Cl⁻ > Br⁻ > I⁻) and systematically lowering overpotentials for metal deposition. This work suggests a completely new framework for electrolyte design in which anion chemistry can be used to tune both the bulk speciation and the interfacial solvation structure, enabling profound changes to the electrochemical behavior of the system.

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

Modulating solvation interactions of deep eutectic solvents formed by ammonium salts and carboxylic acids through varying the molar ratio of hydrogen bond donor and acceptor

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have gained increasing popularity in separation science due to the fact that their physico-chemical properties can be easily fine-tuned by varying the type or ratio of hydrogen bond acceptor (HBA) and hydrogen bond donor (HBD). While it is well-known that the molar ratio of HBA/HBD affects the melting point of a eutectic mixture, much less is understood regarding its effect on the magnitude of individual solvation interactions. This is largely due to the fact that established solvatochromic dye methods lack sensitivity when the HBA/HBD ratio is varied slightly in a eutectic mixture. Herein, this study is the first to measure the variation of DES solvation interactions with small changes in the molar ratio of HBA/HBD using inverse gas chromatography (IGC). Solute-solvent interactions of three different DES systems comprised of ammonium salts and organic acids were examined. The probe molecules were studied for 18 eutectic mixtures of varied HBA and HBD composition. We report DES hydrogen bond basicity, hydrogen bond acidity, and dispersive-type interactions exhibited the greatest change when the molar ratio of HBA/HBD was varied in the eutectic mixture. Results from this study demonstrate that the HBA/HBD ratio can be used to modulate the solvation characteristics for this class of DESs in separations and that the stoichiometric ratio of the HBA/HBD is important in ensuring their reproducible preparation.

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

Solvation dynamics of choline fluoride in ethylene glycol – Water mixtures

Due to their favorable physical properties, deep eutectic solvents (DESs) have been of interest in many applications in the energy and industry sectors. In this study, we investigate the new deep eutectic solvent ethalineF (a 1:2 M ratio of choline fluoride:ethylene glycol) and the effect of water addition on the solvation dynamics compared to the better known ethaline (a 1:2 M ratio of choline chloride:ethylene glycol). Femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy and NMR diffusometry were used to study the solvation dynamics. 19 F NMR spectra were obtained for ethalineF solutions with different water additions. The 19 F NMR spectra show two fluorine signals; one can be assigned to fluoride anions solvated by EG and the other signal to fluoride anions associated with the much heavier and less mobile choline cation. Density, viscosity, conductivity, and E T (30) polarity measurements are also provided for ethalineF. The nuclear spin nature of fluorine atom permits to measure the self-diffusion coefficient of the negative ion in addition of the cation diffusion in a choline halide based deep eutectic solvent system. This allows to calculate the NMR-predicted conductivities σ NMR . The obtained ion dissociation coefficients α D at different water concentrations suggest a partial ion dissociation which was commensurate with the relatively low ion conductivity. Furthermore, the observed modest conductivity of ethalineF is explained in terms of ion association as well as the gradual increase in conductivity caused by the addition of water.

19F NMR↗
DOE OSTI2026

Average hydrodynamic radius analysis reveals critical solvation thresholds in high-concentration lithium electrolytes

Understanding the solvation structures of lithium salts in carbonate- and ether-based electrolytes is central to explaining the exceptional stability of high-concentration electrolytes (HCEs) and localized high-concentration electrolytes (LHCEs). Conventional techniques such as vibrational spectroscopy and one-dimensional NMR provide only limited information, typically restricted to coordination ratios and ion-pair distributions, without revealing the actual size and mass of solution complexes. Here, in this study, we introduce an average hydrodynamic radius (AHR) analysis based on internally referenced DOSY NMR, which enables direct estimation of the average volume and molecular weight of lithium–solvent complexes in solution. Using LiFSI–EMC and LiFSI–EMC–TTE electrolytes, we demonstrate that the onset of effective lithium metal stabilization and aluminum corrosion suppression coincides with the formation of very large complexes, whose average volume exceeds 300 times that of free EMC molecules. This finding supports a new “blocking mechanism,” wherein bulky solvated complexes impede direct solvent access to reactive surfaces. The AHR analysis thus not only clarifies the fundamental origin of HCE and LHCE effectiveness, but also provides a broadly applicable experimental framework for probing complex solvation structures and guiding rational electrolyte design.

Concentrated electrolytes↗
DOE OSTI2025

Elucidating the Solvation Structures and Dynamics in Iron-Based TFSI – Aqueous Systems

This study investigates the solvation structures and dynamics of bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (TFSI – )-based aqueous electrolytes, focusing on Fe(TFSI) 2 and Fe(TFSI) 3 . Using advanced characterization techniques, including small-angle X-ray scattering, molecular dynamics simulations, Raman spectroscopy, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, and nuclear magnetic resonance, we elucidate how the electrolyte concentration influences ion association, solvation structures, and transport properties. Furthermore, our findings show that higher electrolyte concentrations promote the formation of contact ion pairs and anion networks, leading to reduced ion mobility and altered hydrogen-bonding dynamics. These insights provide a deeper understanding of solvation phenomena in TFSI-based electrolytes and contribute to the development of efficient and environmentally friendly iron electrodeposition processes.

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗
DOE OSTI2019

Controlling Solvate Intermediate Growth for Phase-Pure Organic Lead Iodide Ruddlesden–Popper (C 4 H 9 NH 3 ) 2 (CH 3 NH 3 ) n -1 Pb n I 3 n +1 Perovskite Thin Films

The growth of Ruddlesden-Popper perovskite thin films is complicated by the existence of multiple crystallization pathways available to precursors in solution. During conventional thin film growth processes, such as spin-coating or blade-coating, solvents can evaporate too quickly to clearly resolve different reaction intermediates and products that form during crystallization. Here, we resolve multiple reaction products and intermediates that form during Ruddlesden-Popper phase growth by studying drop-cast precursor solutions in situ through the evolution of X-ray diffraction, photoluminescence, and optical micrographs over long timescales in a thin film geometry. We found that methylammonium-rich solvate intermediates play a crucial role in directing the bulk optical properties of the films, and form simultaneously with smaller regions of Ruddlesden-Popper phases during growth. The microstructure and optical properties of these sub-phases were characterized during growth and after annealing, revealing that discrepancies between thin film and single-crystal optical properties originate from solvate intermediates. These lower band-gap solvate-mediated minority phases dominate the optical emission spectrum by means of rapid energy migration, and contribute to sub-band-gap electronic states in photovoltaic devices. Processing routes to yield thin films with optical properties similar to single crystals of Ruddlesden-Popper phases were developed by tuning the precursor stoichiometry and deposition kinetics.

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

Comparing Experimental Phase Behavior of Ion-Doped Block Copolymers with Theoretical Predictions Based on Selective Ion Solvation

The effects of salt-doping on the morphological behavior of block copolymers are well established but remain poorly understood, partially because of the challenge of resolving electrostatics in a heterogeneous medium with low average permittivity. By employing a recently developed field theory, we analyze the phase behavior of polystyrene-b-poly(ethylene oxide) (SEO) copolymers doped with lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide salts (LiTFSI). Using a single fitting parameter, the ionic solvation radius, we obtain qualitative agreement between our theory and experimental data over a range of polymer molecular weights and copolymer compositions. Such agreement supports and highlights the need of solvation free energy to accurately describe the self-assembly of ion-doped block copolymers and demonstrates that experimentally observed dependence on molecular weight, not present in neutral block copolymers, can be rationalized by solvation effects. Overall, morphological variations are stronger than those predicted by the leading, linear order theory but can be captured by the full model.

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

Effect of Salt Concentration on the Interfacial Solvation Structure and Early Stage of Solid–Electrolyte Interphase Formation in Ca(BH 4 ) 2 /THF for Ca Batteries

The Ca 2+ solvation structure at the electrolyte/electrode interface is of central importance to understand electroreduction stability and solid–electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation for the novel multivalent Ca battery systems. Here, using an exemplar electrolyte, the concentration-dependent solvation structure of Ca(BH 4 ) 2 -tetrahydrofuran on a gold model electrode has been investigated with various electrolyte concentrations via electrochemical quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation (EQCM-D) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). For the first time, in situ EQCM-D results prove that the prevalent species adsorbed at the interface is CaBH 4 + across all concentrations. As the salt concentration increases, the number of BH 4 – anions associated with Ca 2+ increases, and much larger solvated complexes such as CaBH 4 + ·4THF or Ca(BH 4 ) 3 – ·4THF form at the interface at high concentrations prior to Ca plating. Different interfacial chemistries lead to the formation of SEIs with different components demonstrated by XPS. High electrolyte concentrations reduce the solvent decomposition and promote the formation of thick, uniform, and inorganic-rich (i.e., CaO) SEI layers, which contribute to improved Ca plating efficiency and current density in electrochemical measurements.

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

Tailoring Solvation Solvent in Localized High-Concentration Electrolytes for Lithium||Sulfurized Polyacrylonitrile

Sulfurized polyacrylonitrile (SPAN) is a promising cathode material for lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries due to its significantly reduced polysulfide (PS) dissolution compared to the elemental S cathode. Although conventional carbonate-based electrolytes is stable with SPAN electrodes, it is less stable with Li metal anode (LMA). Recently, localized high-concentration electrolytes (LHCEs) have been developed to improve the stability of LMA. Here, we report a new strategy to further improve the performance of LI||SPAN batteries by replacing the conventional solvating solvent 1,2-dimethoxyethane (DME) in the LHCE with a new solvating solvent, 1,2-diethoxyethane (DEE), the new LHCEs exhibits less reactivity against Li 2 S 2 , alleviates PS dissolution, forms a better cathode-electrolyte interphase layer on the SPAN, and enhances structure reversibility even at elevated temperature (ET, 45°C). With the same salt and diluent as in other LHCEs, the LHCE with DEE leads to better performance in Li||SPAN batteries (with 82.9% capacity retention after 300 cycles at ET), preservation of SPAN cathode structure, and suppression of the volume change of LMA. The similar strategy on tailoring the solvating solvents in LHCEs can also be used in other rechargeable batteries to improve their performances.

1,2-diethoxyethane↗
DOE OSTI2021

Steric Effect Tuned Ion Solvation Enabling Stable Cycling of High-Voltage Lithium Metal Battery

1,2-Dimethoxyethane (DME) is a common electrolyte solvent for lithium metal batteries. Various DME-based electrolyte designs have improved long-term cyclability of high-voltage full cells. However, insufficient Coulombic efficiency at the Li anode and poor high-voltage stability remain a challenge for DME electrolytes. Here, we report a molecular design principle that utilizes a steric hindrance effect to tune the solvation structures of Li + ions. In this work, we hypothesized that by substituting the methoxy groups on DME with larger-sized ethoxy groups, the resulting 1,2-diethoxyethane (DEE) should have a weaker solvation ability and consequently more anion-rich inner solvation shells, both of which enhance interfacial stability at the cathode and anode. Experimental and computational evidence indicates such steric-effect-based design leads to an appreciable improvement in electrochemical stability of lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI)/DEE electrolytes. Under stringent full-cell conditions of 4.8 mAh cm –2 NMC811, 50 μm thin Li, and high cutoff voltage at 4.4 V, 4 M LiFSI/DEE enabled 182 cycles until 80% capacity retention while 4 M LiFSI/DME only achieved 94 cycles. This work points out a promising path toward the molecular design of non-fluorinated ether-based electrolyte solvents for practical high-voltage Li metal batteries.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Metastable Clusters and Competitive Solvation Tune Ion Pairing at Liquid Interfaces

The balance of hydrophobic and hydrophilic interactions underlies emergent phenomena in complex multicomponent chemical systems. Here, we show that a supposedly ‘non–interacting’ nonpolar phase can be used to competitively solvate amphiphilic molecules at an oil/aqueous interface. This solvation, as probed by surface specific nonlinear spectroscopy and simulations, results in a molecularly thin corrugated phase boundary featuring metastable assemblies that alter the hydrogen bonding networks of water and the apparent ‘hard/soft’ descriptors used to describe ionic interactions. We show that competitive solvation enhances amphiphile mobility, opening up otherwise energetically inaccessible complexes that transiently interact with aqueous phase ions. These transient species impact ensemble binding affinities and may represent the molecular agents responsible for aspects of ionic transport and function. In conclusion, the result of this work highlights how seemingly unrelated nonpolar interactions feedback onto aqueous phase chemical phenomena, providing a pathway to tune phase separation and self-assembly to access new reaction pathways using interfaces for a range of chemical and biological systems.

Anions↗
DOE OSTI2022

Structural and dynamic properties of solvated hydroxide and hydronium ions in water from ab initio modeling

Predicting the asymmetric structure and dynamics of solvated hydroxide and hydronium in water from ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) has been a challenging task. The difficulty mainly comes from a lack of accurate and efficient exchange–correlation functional in elucidating the amphiphilic nature and the ubiquitous proton transfer behaviors of the two ions. By adopting the strongly constrained and appropriately normed (SCAN) meta-generalized gradient approximation functional in AIMD simulations, we systematically examine the amphiphilic properties, the solvation structures, the electronic structures, and the dynamic properties of the two water ions. In particular, we compare these results to those predicted by the PBE0-TS functional, which is an accurate yet computationally more expensive exchange–correlation functional. We demonstrate that the general-purpose SCAN functional provides a reliable choice for describing the two water ions. Specifically, in the SCAN picture of water ions, the appearance of the fourth and fifth hydrogen bonds near hydroxide stabilizes the pot-like shape solvation structure and suppresses the structural diffusion, while the hydronium stably donates three hydrogen bonds to its neighbors. We apply a detailed analysis of the proton transfer mechanism of the two ions and find the two ions exhibit substantially different proton transfer patterns. In conclusion, our AIMD simulations indicate that hydroxide diffuses more slowly than hydronium in water, which is consistent with the experimental results.

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

Electronic Structure and Mechanical Properties of Solvated Montmorillonite Clay Using Large-Scale DFT Method

Montmorillonite clay (MMT) has been widely used in engineering and environmental applications as a landfill barrier and toxic waste repository due to its unique property as an expandable clay mineral that can absorb water easily. This absorption process rendered MMT to be highly exothermic due to electrostatic interactions among molecules and hydrogen bonds between surface atoms. A detailed study of a large supercell model of structural clay enables us to predict long-term nuclear waste storage. Herein, a large solvent MMT model with 4071 atoms is studied using ab initio density functional theory. The DFT calculation and analysis clarify the important issues, such as bond strength, solvation effect, elasticity, and seismic wave velocities. These results are compared to our previous study on crystalline MMT (dry). The solvated MMT has reduced shear modulus (G), bulk modulus (K), and Young’s modulus (E). We observe that the conduction band (CB) in the density of states (DOS) of solvated MMT model has a single, conspicuous peak at –8.5 eV. Moreover, the atom-resolved partial density of states (PDOS) summarizes the roles played by each atom in the DOS. These findings illuminate numerous potential sophisticated applications of MMT clay.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗