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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 1,225 records · Page 68
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2025

Breaking the Brønsted–Evans–Polanyi Relation with Dual-Metal Sites

Linear scaling relationships impose inherent limitations on catalyst activity; the Brønsted−Evans−Polanyi (BEP) relation, which correlates activation and reaction energies, is a prominent example. Here we report a dual-metal site catalyst (DMSC) on ceria that breaks the BEP relation for C−C coupling of methyl intermediates an elementary step in methane coupling to form ethane. The DMSC structure on CeO 2 (111) was discovered by density-functional theory (DFT) structural exploration and confirmed to be stable via ab initio thermodynamics and ab initio molecular dynamics. Homonuclear and heteronuclear DMSCs of Ni, Pd, Pt, Fe, Ru, Os, Co, Rh, and Ir (45 pairs in total) were examined for methyl affinity and methyl−methyl coupling activation energy. We found that many heteronuclear DMSCs break the BEP linear scaling due to a mixed low-affinity/high-affinity coadsorption of the two methyl groups, decoupling the step responsible for the activation energy (E a ) at the low-affinity site from the overall reaction energy (ΔE) determined by both sites. This mechanism of breaking the BEP relationship via the DMSCs offers a catalyst design principle for C−C coupling reactions.

Chen, Yiming [Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (Uni↗
DOE OSTI2016

Understanding the Redox Obstacles in High Sulfur-Loading Li–S Batteries and Design of an Advanced Gel Cathode

Lithium-sulfur batteries with a high energy density are being considered a promising candidate for next-generation energy storage. However, realization of Li-S batteries is plagued by poor sulfur utilization due to the shuttle of intermediate lithiation products between electrodes and its dynamic redistribution. To optimize the sulfur utilization, an understanding of its redox behavior is essential. Here in this paper, we report a gel cathode consisting of a polysulfide-impregnated O- and N-doped porous carbon and an independent, continuous, and highly conducting 3-dimensional graphite film as the charge-transfer network. This design decouples the function of electron conduction and polysulfide absorption, which is beneficial for understanding the sulfur redox behavior and identifying the dominant factors leading to cell failure when the cells have high sulfur content and insufficient electrolyte. In conclusion, this design also opens up new prospects of tuning the properties of Li-S batteries via separately designing the material functions of electron conduction and polysulfide absorption.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Excited Electron Dynamics at Semiconductor–Molecule Type-II Heterojunction Interface: First-Principles Dynamics Simulation

Excited electron dynamics at semiconductor–molecule interfaces is ubiquitous in various energy conversion technologies. However, a quantitative understanding of how molecular details influence the quantum dynamics of excited electrons remains a great scientific challenge because of the complex interplay of different processes with various time scales. Here in this paper, we employ first-principles electron dynamics simulations to investigate how molecular features govern the dynamics in a representative interface between the hydrogen-terminated Si(111) surface and a cyanidin molecule. Hot electron transfer to the chemisorbed molecule was observed but was short-lived on the molecule. Interfacial electron transfer to the chemisorbed molecule was found to be largely decoupled from hot electron relaxation within the semiconductor surface. While the hot electron relaxation was found to take place on a time scale of several hundred femtoseconds, the subsequent interfacial electron transfer was slower by an order of magnitude. Finally, at the same time, this secondary process of picosecond electron transfer is comparable in time scale to typical electron trapping into defect states in the energy gap.

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

Reversible Binding Interfaces Made of Microstructured Polymer Brushes

The polymer brush architecture of the end-tethered polymer molecules is one of the most widely used efficient methods to regulate interfacial interactions in colloidal systems found in live matter and manufactured materials. Emerging applications of polymer brush structures require solutions to new tasks in the control of interfacial interactions. The rapid development of live cell manufacturing relies on scalable and efficient cell harvesting methods. Stimuli-responsive surfaces made of surface-grafted poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) can bind and detach the adherent cell upon changes in temperature and have been used for cell growth and harvesting. The applications are limited by the requirement to satisfy a range of PNIPAM coating characteristics that depend on the dimensions of the integrin complex in the cell membrane and the basal surface. The analysis of the microstructured surfaces, when adhesive and disjoining functions of the microdomains are decoupled, shows that many limitations of PNIPAM one-component coatings can be avoided by using a much broader range of structural characteristics of the microstructured interfaces composed of alternating disjoining PNIPAM domains and adhesive polymeric domains with cell-affinity functional groups. Temperature-controlled reversible adhesion to such microstructured interfaces is studied here experimentally with model systems of solid spherical particles and by employing simulations for solid and soft membranes interacting with the microstructured surfaces to mimic interactions with soft and solid disk-like particles.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

Confocal Raman Microscopy of Hybrid-Supported Phospholipid Bilayers within Individual C 18 -Functionalized Chromatographic Particles

Measuring lipid-membrane partitioning of small molecules is critical to predicting bioavailability and investigating molecule-membrane interactions. A stable model membrane for such studies has been developed through assembly of a phospholipid monolayer on n-alkane-modified surfaces. These hybrid-bilayers have recently been generated within n-alkyl-chain (C 18 ) modified porous silica and used in chromatographic retention studies of small molecules. Despite their successful application, determining the structure of hybrid-bilayers within chromatographic silica is challenging, because they reside at buried interfaces within the porous structure. In this work, we employ confocal Raman microscopy to investigate the formation and temperature-dependent structure of hybrid-phospholipid bilayers in C 18 -modified, porous-silica chromato¬graphic particles. Porous silica provides sufficient surface area within a confocal probe volume centered in an individual particle to readily measure, with Raman microscopy, the formation of an ordered hybrid-bilayer of 1,2-dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phospho¬choline (DMPC) with the surface C 18 chains. The DMPC surface density was quantified from the relative Raman scattering intensities of C 18 and phospholipid acyl chains and found to be ~40% of a DMPC vesicle membrane. By monitoring Raman spectra acquired versus temperature, the bilayer main phase transition was observed to be broadened and shifted to higher temperature compared to a DMPC vesicle, in agreement with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) results. Raman scattering of deuterated phospholipid was resolved from protonated C 18 -chain scattering, showing that the lipid-acyl and C 18 chains melt simultaneously in a single phase transition. The surface-density of lipid in the hybrid bilayer, the ordering of both C 18 and lipid acyl chains upon bilayer formation, and decoupling of C 18 methylene C–H vibrations by deuterated lipid acyl chains all suggest an interdigitated acyl-chain structure. Furthermore, the simultaneous melting of both layers is also consistent with an interdigitated structure, where immobility of surface-grafted C 18 -chains decreases the cooperativity and increases the melting temperature compared to a vesicle bilayer.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2017

BSMV as a Biotemplate for Palladium Nanomaterial Synthesis

BSMV was successfully used as a biotemplate to form high quality Pd nanorods in the absence of an exogenous reducer. The nanorods synthesized were uniform with controllable diameters. X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) studies were used to elucidate the fundamental rate law for Pd reduction mediated by the virus surface. The technique was subsequently combined with UV-Vis spectroscopy to decouple the processes of adsorption and reduction of Pd precursor. Adsorption was best modeled by a multi-step Langmuir isotherm. It was deduced that the 1st local isotherm is governed by electrostatically driven adsorption, which is then followed by sorption driven by covalent affinity of metal precursor molecules for amino residues. Finally, study of the BSMV-Pd particles using USAXS enabled the characterization of all length scales in the synthesized particles.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2026

Ion Transport in Charged Membranes: Linking Electric-Field-Driven Mechanisms to Pore Size via Perturbation Analysis

Ion-exchange membranes are a critical component in electrochemical systems. Nevertheless, the understanding and modeling of ion transport within these porous structures have been limited by particular complexity reductions, either ignoring the dimensionality of their porous network architecture or imposing geometric assumptions (i.e., overlapping double layers). Before addressing this morphology-transport gap, a framework that relates the driving forces of transport to the geometry of a single pore is required. In this work, our modeling domain consists of a two-dimensional single pore with charged walls, connecting two identical electrolyte reservoirs. Using the Poisson-Nernst-Planck equations and regular perturbation theory, we decouple the electric fields and analyze the driving forces of ion transport, specifically electromigration and induced electroosmosis within the pore. These processes are described as analytical functions of the interaction aspect ratio, ?, defined as the ratio of the pore radius to the Debye length. Using this parameter, our study (i) describes the interplay between electromigrative and electroosmotic mechanisms that set ionic conductivity, (ii) identifies a dimensionless group of intrinsic electrolyte properties that indicates the predominant driving force, and (iii) provides a qualitative, confinement-dependent perspective on selectivity in ion-conducting membranes.

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

Phase Behavior of Diblock Copolymer–Homopolymer Ternary Blends with a Compositionally Asymmetric Diblock Copolymer

The phase behavior of ternary polymer blends comprising poly(cyclohexylethylene) (C) and polyethylene (E) homopolymers and a compositionally asymmetric CE diblock copolymer with f C = 0.67 was investigated, where f C is the volume fraction of C. Morphology was established in the phase prism (volume fractions of C, E, and CE vs. temperature) by optical transmission, small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS), and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements. The locations of lamellar (LAM), hexagonally packed cylinders (HEX), and gyroid (GYR) ordered phases are shifted significantly towards lower fractions of C homopolymer compared to previous results obtained from ternary polymer blends with a symmetric diblock copolymer (f C = 0.5). Conversely, the Scott line of critical points, which delineates the boundary between single-phase disorder and macroscopic phase separation, remains virtually unchanged, coincident with the fraction of C homopolymer associated with the binary homopolymer blend critical composition. A central finding of this study is that the line of nearly congruent order-disorder transitions, where the LAM phase melts virtually directly into the disordered state, is decoupled in composition from that of the Scott line of critical points. A wide range of phase space between the compositions associated with the congruent transition and Scott line was identified as containing a microemulsion morphology. This study demonstrates that diblock copolymer compositional asymmetry significantly impacts the ordered phase regime but has a marginal effect on the region displaying macroscopic phase separation. It also provides useful guidance for tuning interfacial curvature, a crucial factor in the formation of bicontinuous microemulsions (BµEs).

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Nonlinear Architectures Can Alter the Dynamics of Polymer–Nanoparticle Composites

Polymer nanocomposites exhibit remarkable physical properties that are attractive for many applications. These systems have been so far investigated by using linear polymer chains; the role of polymer matrix architecture on local dynamics, bulk rheology and nanoparticle motion remains unexplored. Here, using quasielastic neutron scattering, bulk rheology and x-ray photon correlation spectroscopy, we investigated nanocomposites with spherical silica nanoparticles well dispersed in poly (ethylene oxide) matrices having different architectures (specifically linear, stars and hyperbranched). The results reveal that the mechanical reinforcement of the nanocomposites with the nonlinear polymers can be altered by orders of magnitude with respect to the conventional nanocomposite with the linear polymer. Additionally, the polymer compactness and inter-penetrability are found to play crucial roles in determining their bulk rheology. At microscopic level, average segmental dynamics is remarkably slowed down by the attractive NPs in the matrices of high degree of branching whereas no significant effect is observed in linear polymer matrix at the same NP loading. In addition, the nanoscale dynamics of particles in the compact nonlinear matrices exhibit strong decoupling from the bulk viscoelasticity, allowing their fast relaxation even at ≈ 30% by volume. These results provide an experimental evidence that macromolecular architecture is a powerful new tool for tuning the bulk rheological properties as well as the nanoscale dynamics of PNCs without the need for changing polymer molecular weight, nanoparticle size, shape, loading or dispersion state.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Sulfonated Aromatic Polypentenamers: Scope of the Acetyl Sulfate Reaction

A precision polymer featuring one phenyl pendant at every fifth carbon on a polyethylene backbone was modified to varying degrees of sulfonation (DS = 33–98%) using acetyl sulfate with standard conditions by varying reaction times (up to 48 h). This soft, homogeneous method allows for evenly distributed phenylsulfonic acid groups with minimal side reactions and results in light brown, transparent materials with glass transition temperatures of 33–78 °C that increase with DS and parent polymer molar mass. The DS was accurately determined through well-resolved 1 H NMR (DSHNMR) signals of the regularly spaced phenyl groups and corroborated by inverse-gated decoupling 13 C NMR analysis. These analyses were compared to a series of other commonly accepted methods for DS determination including titration and elemental analysis (EA). The DS by titration (DS titr ) also increased with reaction time but was consistently lower than those determined by NMR. Significant discrepancies between theoretical and measured sulfur mass were observed for several samples through EA. Qualitative methods, such as infrared spectroscopy and thermal analyses, were also performed and correlated well with the DS determined by NMR. Here, this study presents a promising method to achieve a complete scope of homogeneous sulfonation from mild reaction conditions and presents a case to determine DS through multiple methods, with spectroscopic analyses, such as NMR, being potentially the most valuable.

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

Theory of Ion-Mediated Segmental Localization, Activated Structural Relaxation, and the Glass Transition in Polymerized Ionic Liquids

Here we combine polymer integral equation theory for structural correlations with a force-level theory for activated segmental relaxation to construct a microscopic theory for how ions modify the onset of segmental localization, the polymer alpha relaxation time, and glass transition temperature, T g , in dry polymerized ionic liquids (PolyILs). Our most important findings concerning the behavior of T g are (i) a weak dependence on anion–cation Coulomb attraction strength due to strong decoupling of ion and segmental dynamics, (ii) strong reduction with increasing mobile ion size due to both plasticization effects and weakening of ion-modified monomer caging, and (iii) increase with backbone rigidity and intrachain dynamic cooperativity. We quantitatively estimate T g variations as ion size and polymer static and dynamic rigidity are widely varied. The experimental data of 19 PolyILs are organized into a specific pattern consistent with the theoretical predictions with glass transition temperatures varying over a very wide range (~250 K) as observed experimentally. Based on the theoretical results, suggestions are made concerning the search for high conductivity Li- or Na-based PolyILs based on further lowering of T g via new polymer synthesis. Calculations of the alpha time as a function of packing fraction reveal the dynamic fragility increases for larger mobile ions, a more flexible backbone, and/or a smaller degree of intrachain dynamic cooperativity, as a consequence of the increasing importance of collective elasticity in determining the activation barrier. An analysis of transient segmental localization and a crossover to activated dynamics reveals similar, but not identical, trends as predicted at the laboratory vitrification timescale.

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

Effect of Molecular Weight on the Ion Transport Mechanism in Polymerized Ionic Liquids

The unique properties of ionic liquids (ILs) have made them promising candidates for electrochemical applications. Polymerization of the corresponding ILs results in a new class of materials called polymerized ionic liquids (PolyILs). Though PolyILs offer the possibility to combine the high conductivity of ILs and the high mechanical strength of polymers, their conductivities are typically much lower than that of the corresponding small molecule ILs. In this study, seven PolyILs were synthesized having degrees of polymerization ranging from 1 to 333, corresponding to molecular weights (MW) from 482 to 160 400 g/mol. Depolarized dynamic light scattering, broadband dielectric spectroscopy, rheology, and differential scanning calorimetry were employed to systematically study the influence of MW on the mechanism of ionic transport and segmental dynamics in these materials. Finally, the modified Walden plot analysis reveals that the ion conductivity transforms from being closely coupled with structural relaxation to being strongly decoupled from it as MW increases.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Chemically Recyclable Analogs of Styrene–Butadiene Copolymers Enabling Perfectly Linear Ethylene–Styrene Materials with Random Phenyl Distribution

Copolymerization of cyclopentene (CP) and 4-phenylcyclopentene (4PCP) at a full range of comonomer feed ratios is reported using Ru-based ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) yielding homogeneous copolymers analogous to poly(styrene-ran-1,4-butadiene) and poly(ethylene-ran-styrene) copolymers following hydrogenation under mild conditions. In all cases, total monomer conversions of 86%–92% yielded copolymers with compositions within 4% of monomer feeds. Analysis of equilibrium copolymerization thermodynamics, rarely performed on two cycloolefin monomers with low ring strain energies, provides rational design strategies for negotiating two monomers with different equilibrium monomer concentrations. Inverse-gated decoupled 13 C NMR analysis of dyad sequences on the resulting copolymer microstructures concludes a near-random distribution of comonomer units. The copolymers produced from ROMP have number-average molar masses up to 60 kg mol –1 , moderate dispersities (1.5 ± 0.1), and high trans olefin content (86% ± 2%) while glass-transitions temperatures follow the Fox equation and span the full range between homopolymer extremities of PCP (−96 °C) and P4PCP (17 °C). Unlike most prevulcanized elastomers, these materials undergo facile chemical recycling to monomer, producing complete ring-closing metathesis depolymerization (RCMD) of the polymer back to the CP comonomers. Quantitative olefin hydrogenation produced perfectly linear polyethylene with 4%–16% of the backbone carbons containing a phenyl pendant, analogous to ES copolymers with up to 71.5% w/w styrene units but with random distribution of the aromatic pendants. Thermal properties of these materials are discussed, which span from semicrystalline to amorphous, and with T g values notably less than the reported ES copolymer analogs at similar compositions.

animal feed↗
DOE OSTI2018

Theory and Simulation of Attractive Nanoparticle Transport in Polymer Melts

We theoretically study the diffusion of a single attractive nanoparticle (NP) in unentangled and entangled polymer melts based on combining microscopic “core–shell” and “vehicle” mechanisms in a dynamic bond percolation theory framework. A physical picture is constructed which addresses the role of chain length (N), degree of entanglement, nanoparticle size, and NP–polymer attraction strength. The nanoparticle diffusion constant is predicted to initially decrease with N due to the dominance of the core–shell mechanism, then to cross over to the vehicle diffusion regime with a weaker N dependence, and eventually plateau at large enough N. This behavior corresponds to decoupling of NP diffusivity from the macroscopic melt viscosity, which is reminiscent of repulsive NPs in entangled melts, but here it occurs for a distinct physical reason. Specifically, it reflects a crossover to a transport mechanism whereby nanoparticles adsorb on polymer chains and diffuse using them as “vehicles” over a characteristic desorption time scale. Repetition of random desorption events then leads to Fickian long time NP diffusion. Complementary simulations for a range of chain lengths and low to moderate NP–polymer attraction strengths are also performed. They allow testing of the proposed diffusion mechanisms and qualitatively support the theoretically predicted dynamic crossover behavior. In conclusion, when the desorption time is smaller than or comparable to the onset of entangled polymer dynamics, the NP diffusivity becomes almost chain length independent.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2018

Crystallization Modes of Poly(3-dodecylthiophene)-Based Block Copolymers Depend on Regioregularity and Morphology

Conjugated block copolymers (BCPs) can self-assemble into highly ordered nanostructures in a melt state. Yet, when cooled below the melting temperature, crystal growth can disrupt the self-assembled structure and produce a poorly ordered fibrillar texture. We determine that crystallization modes of conjugated BCPs based on poly(3-dodecylthiophene) (P3DDT) and poly(2-vinylpyridine) (P2VP) can be tuned through P3DDT regioregularity (RR), as this attribute controls the melting temperature and crystallization rates of P3DDT. When RR is low (7080%), crystallization is observed at temperatures near or below the glass transition of P2VP, so crystal growth is largely confined by the glassy cylindrical or lamellar BCP structure. When RR is high (94%), crystallization occurs at 40 K above the glass transition of P2VP, so there is no longer a restriction of glassy domains. Importantly, crystal growth remains confined by the rubbery P2VP lamellae, but breaks through the rubbery P2VP cylinders. This morphology-dependent behavior is attributed to geometric compatibility of P3DDT crystal growth and the self-assembled symmetry. In a lamellar phase, the P3DDT chain orientations at the P3DDT- block -P2VP interface are compatible with crystal growth, and both the alkyl-stacking and $\pi\pi$ growth directions are unrestricted within a lamellar sheet. In a cylindrical phase, the radial orientation of P3DDT chains at the P3DDT- block -P2VP interface is not compatible with crystal growth, and the hexagonal close-packed symmetry only allows for one direction of unrestricted crystal growth. Significantly, these studies demonstrate that tuning RR of polyalkylthiophenes can open up multiple crystallization modes with the same monomer chemistries and block lengths, thereby decoupling the parameters that govern classical BCP self-assembly and crystal growth.

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

Influence of Longer Range Transfer of Vapor Interface Modified Caging Constraints on the Spatially Heterogeneous Dynamics of Glass-Forming Liquids

Based on the elastically collective nonlinear Langevin equation (ECNLE) theory of bulk relaxation in glass-forming liquids, and our recent ideas of how interface-nucleated modification of caging constraints are spatially transferred into the interior of a thick film, we present a force-based theory for dynamical gradients in thick films with one vapor interface that includes collective elasticity effects. Quantitative applications to the foundational hard sphere fluid and polymer melts of diverse fragilities are presented. In this work, we predict a roughly exponential spatial variation of the total activation barrier which is nonperturbatively modified to similar to 10 particle diameters into the film. This leads, to leading order, to the prediction of a reduced alpha relaxation time gradient of a double-exponential form characterized by a nearly constant spatial decay length, in qualitative accord with simulations. The relaxation acceleration at the surface grows exponentially with increasing packing fraction or decreasing temperature. The rate of increase with cooling of the alpha time strongly weakens upon approaching the vapor interface, with the top two layers remaining liquid-like down to similar to ~80-85% of the bulk glass transition temperature. These spatially heterogeneous changes of the temperature variation of the alpha time result in a large and long-range gradient of the local glass transition temperature. An average interfacial layer thickness relevant to ensemble-averaged dielectric and other experiments is also computed. It is predicted to be rather large at the bulk glass transition temperature, decreasing roughly linearly with heating. Remarkably, to leading order the ratio of this layer-averaged interfacial relaxation time to its bulk analogue is invariant to chemistry, volume fraction, and temperature and of modest absolute magnitude. Spatially inhomogeneous power law decoupling of the alpha relaxation time from its bulk value is predicted, with an effective exponent that decays to zero with distance from the free surface in a nearly exponential manner, trends which are in qualitative accord with recent simulations. Finally, this behavior and the double-exponential alpha time gradient are related and can be viewed as consequences of an effective quasi-universal factorization of the total barrier in films into the product of its bulk-temperature-dependent value times a function solely of location in the film.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2019

Entropy and Enthalpy Mediated Segregation of Bottlebrush Copolymers to Interfaces

The composition of polymer blends near interfaces can differ from the average blend composition because the attraction of each polymer toward surfaces is controlled by its chemistry, size, and architecture. In this work, we studied thin film blends of bottlebrush copolymers and linear homopolymers to understand the enthalpic and entropic effects that drive preferential segregation of one constituent to film interfaces. Bottlebrush copolymers containing polystyrene (PS) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) side chains were blended with either linear PS or linear PMMA, and time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy was used to quantify the distribution of bottlebrushes through the film thickness as a function of homopolymer type, homopolymer molecular weight, and processing conditions. We found that the bottlebrush copolymers segregated to air and substrate interfaces above a critical molecular weight of the linear homopolymer, consistent with an entropic preference for chain ends and shorter chains toward the interfaces. This segregation was used to tailor the surface wettability of blend films using bottlebrush additives as a minority component. Modeling using self-consistent field theory highlighted effects of conformational entropy and enthalpic interactions in driving almost complete segregation from the interior of the films toward interfaces. Furthermore, enthalpic interactions were predicted to cause lateral phase segregation in cases where the homopolymer is preferred over the bottlebrush copolymer at the substrate, an effect that was also observed in experiments. Finally, this study demonstrates that bottlebrush copolymer additives can be designed to spontaneously segregate to surfaces in thermal blends, providing a possible route to decouple surface properties from bulk properties.

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

Twisted MoSe 2 Homobilayer Behaving as a Heterobilayer

Heterostructures (HSs) formed by the transition-metal dichalcogenides materials have shown great promise in next-generation (opto)electronic applications. An artificially twisted HS, allows us to manipulate the optical, and electronic properties. In this work, we introduce the understanding of the energy transfer (ET) process governed by the dipolar interaction in a twisted molybdenum diselenide (MoSe 2 ) homobilayer without any charge-blocking interlayer. We fabricated an unconventional homobilayer (i.e., HS) with a large twist angle by combining the 2 chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and mechanical exfoliation (Exf.) techniques to fully exploit the lattice parameters mismatch and indirect/direct (CVD/Exf.) bandgap nature. These effectively weaken the interlayer charge transfer and allow the ET to control the carrier recombination channels. Our experimental and theoretical results explain a massive HS photoluminescence enhancement due to an efficient ET process. This work shows that the electronically decoupled MoSe 2 homobilayer is coupled by the ET process, mimicking a 'true' heterobilayer nature.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗