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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 145 records · Page 8
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Oxygen Vacancies Enriched Bi Based Catalysts for Enhancing Electrocatalytic CO2 Reduction to Formate

The practical application of CO2 conversion through electrochemical reduction is still hindered by the lack of high performance and cost-effective catalysts. It is thus imperative to explore feasible strategies for scalable fabrication of catalysts for CO2 reduction to targeting products with high efficiency. Herein, for the first time, a hybrid of BiOx encapsulated in carbon thin layer is developed as high active electrocatalyst for CO2 conversion, which is synthesized by pyrolysis using Bi MOF as precursor and sacrificial template. The carbon layer overcoating BiOx catalyst exhibits superior performance for CO2 reduction to formate, achieving a maximum Faradaic efficiency of 89.3 % and a maximum current density of 37.8 mA cm-2. It is found that the as-prepared BiOx catalyst is enriched with oxygen vacancies stabilized by the encapsulating carbon layer. Both the carbon layer and oxygen vacancies improve the charge transfer of the catalyst, in favor of the high formate current density. The defects of oxygen vacancies play a vital role in CO2 adsorption and activation and thereby further enhancing the electrocatalytic ability for formate production.

oxygen vacancy, bismuth, carbon coating, CO2 elect↗
DOE OSTI2017

Effective Pressure Law for the Intrinsic Formation Factor in Low Permeability Sandstones: EPL law for the formation factor

The effective pressure law for the intrinsic formation factor of low permeability sandstones from the Ordos Basin (northwest of China) was studied experimentally by measuring the electrical resistivity of brine saturated rock samples while cycling the pore and confining pressures, p p and p c . We used a 100,000 ppm NaCl solution so that the results could be directly interpreted in terms of the intrinsic formation factor F. The Response Surface method was used to construct a quadratic function of pp and pc fitting the experimental data, from which the coefficient α of the effective pressure law, p eff = p c – αp p , was determined. We found that the coefficient α generally had low values, mainly from 0.2 to 0.4, thus contradicting the theoretical prediction that α should be equal to 1 for scale-invariant properties, such as F, in linear elastic materials having a homogeneous solid matrix. Since the two underlying assumptions, linear elasticity and homogeneity of the solid matrix, are likely violated in reservoir rocks, we tried to assess their effects on α using simple analytical models, based on idealized geometries of the pore and solid phases. Analysis of these models suggests that non-linear elasticity associated with the formation of solid–solid contacts in the compressed rocks (e.g., during closure of rough cracks or crack-like pores along the grain boundaries), may be more effective in producing the low α values observed than inhomogeneity of the solid matrix.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2016

Can Mn–S redox cycling drive sedimentary dolomite formation? A hypothesis

The formation of dolomite in modern peritidal environments is linked to the degradation of buried microbial mats, with complexation of Ca and Mg by extracellular polymeric substances (EPSs) and alkalinity generation through organic carbon respiration facilitating the nucleation of dolomite precursors. In the past two decades, microbial sulfate reduction, methanogenesis, and methanotrophy have all been considered as potential drivers of the nucleation process, but it remains unclear why dolomite formation could not also occur in suboxic sediments where abundant alkalinity is produced by processes linked to Mn(IV) and/or Fe(III) reduction coupled with the diffusion and reoxidation of reduced sulfur species. Here we report the interstitial occurrence of spheroidal aggregates of nanometer-scale Ca-rich dolomite rhombohedra within suboxic sediments associated with remnant microbial mats that developed in the peritidal zone of the Archipelago Los Roques, Venezuela. Multiple analytical tools, including EPMA, ICP-MS, synchrotron-based XRF and XRD, and spatially resolved XANES microanalyses, show that the dolomite-cemented interval exhibits depleted bulk iron concentrations, but is interstitially enriched in Mn and elemental sulfur (S⁰). Manganese occurs in several oxidation states, indicating that the dolomite-cemented interval was the locus of complex biological redox transformations characterized by coupled Mn and S cycling. The tight correspondence between sedimentary Mn and MgCO₃ concentrations further hints at a direct role for Mn during dolomitization. While additional studies are required to confirm its relevance in natural settings, we propose a model by which coupled Mn–S redox cycling may promote alkalinity generation and thus dolomite formation in manner similar to, or even more efficiently, than bacterial sulfate reduction alone.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Mitigation and Diagnosis of Pin-Hole Formation in Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

In this work, we implement a calendering technique to flatten stray fibers within the gas diffusion media, thereby mitigating pin-hole formation in the hot-pressed MEAs. We have investigated the influence of calendering on the long-term durability for several types of gas diffusion electrodes (GDEs) using a combined chemical and mechanical accelerated stress test (AST). The calendered MEAs demonstrate an average AST lifetime improvement of 77% relative to the as-fabricated MEAs.

AMR↗
DOE OSTI2015

Formation enthalpies of LaLn'O{sub 3} (Ln'=Ho, Er, Tm and Yb) interlanthanide perovskites

High-temperature oxide melt solution calorimetry using 3Na{sub 2}O·MoO{sub 3} at 802 °C was performed for interlanthanide perovskites LaLn'O{sub 3} (Ln'=Ho, Er, Tm and Yb) and lanthanide oxides (La{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Ho{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Er{sub 2}O{sub 3}, Tm{sub 2}O{sub 3} and Yb{sub 2}O{sub 3}). The enthalpies of formation of these interlanthanide perovskites from binary lanthanide oxides at room temperature (25 °C) were determined to be −8.3±3.4 kJ/mol for LaHoO{sub 3}, −9.9±3.0 kJ/mol for LaErO{sub 3}, −10.8±2.7 kJ/mol for LaTmO{sub 3} and −12.3±2.9 kJ/mol for LaYbO{sub 3}. There is a roughly linear relationships between these enthalpy values and the tolerance factor for these and for other LaM{sup 3+}O{sub 3} (M=In, Sc, Ga, Al, Fe and Cr) perovskites, confirming that the distortion of the perovskites as results from ionic radius difference of A-site and B-site cations, is the main factor determining the stability of these compounds. - Graphical abstract: A linear relationship between the enthalpy of formation and the tolerance factor for interlanthanide LaLn'O{sub 3} (Ln'=Ho, Er, Tm, and Yb) and other LaM{sup 3+}O{sub 3} (M=In, Sc, Ga, Al, Fe and Cr) perovskites. - Highlights: • Interlanthanide perovskites were synthesized by solid state reactions. • Their enthalpies of formation were measured by oxide melt solution calorimetry. • ΔH{sub f,ox} shows a linear relationship with tolerance factor.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2023

Inferring the Energetics of CO 2 –Aniline Adduct Formation from Vibrational Spectroscopy

Control of atmospheric CO 2 is an important contemporary scientific and engineering challenge. Towards this goal, the reaction of CO 2 with amines to form carbamate bonds is an established method for CO 2 capture. However, controllable reversal of this reaction remains difficult and requires tuning the energetics of the carbamate bond. Through IR spectroscopy, we show that a characteristic frequency observed upon carbamate formation varies as a function of the substituent’s Hammett parameter for a family of para- substituted anilines. We present computational evidence that the vibrational frequency of the adducted CO 2 serves as a predictor of the energy of formation of the carbamate. Electron donating groups typically enhance the driving force of carbamate formation by transferring more charge to the adducted CO 2 and thus increasing the occupancy of the anti-bonding orbital in the carbon-oxygen bonds. Increased occupancy of the anti-bonding orbital within adducted CO 2 indicates a weaker bond, leading to a red shift in the characteristic carbamate frequency. As a result, our work serves the large field of CO 2 capture research where spectroscopic observables, such as IR frequencies, are more easily obtainable and can stand in as a descriptor of driving forces.

Amines↗
DOE OSTI2018

A Bottom-Up Formation Mechanism of Solid Electrolyte Interphase Revealed by Isotope-Assisted Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectrometry

Understanding the solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) formation mechanism is critically important for the performance and durability of lithium-ion batteries. However, the details of how SEI builds up into a nanometer-thick layer from molecular level reduction reactions on negative electrodes are missing. Here, isotope-assisted time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry analyses were designed to answer this fundamental question. By investigating the isotope ratio profile in SEI during the initial SEI formation cycle, it is discovered that the topmost SEI near the electrolyte formed first and the SEI near the electrode formed later. Furthermore, this new “bottom-up” SEI growth mechanism was then correlated to the electrolyte one-electron and two-electron reduction reaction dynamics, which in turn explains the formation of the two-layered organic–inorganic SEI composite structure.

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

Understanding Pore Formation in ALD Alumina Overcoats

AlO X thin films deposited by atomic layer deposition (ALD) have previously been used to increase both stability and selectivity of supported palladium catalysts and are known to develop nanoscale porosity upon heating. Furthermore, understanding the factors that affect ALD thin film porosity would enable future design of layered catalytic structures with tunable nanoscale features on industrially relevant high surface area materials. In this study, porous and nonporous aluminum oxide supports with and without palladium nanoparticles were overcoated with thin films of 2 - 7 nm AlO X by ALD deposited at temperatures of 100 °C, 200 °C and 300 °C. Hydroxyl loss and changes in surface chemistry were observed upon heating the films, and changes in surface area and pore volume of the annealed films were correlated to AlO x deposition temperature and presence of Pd. Crystallization of the overcoat to γ-Al 2 O 3 is shown to occur separately from hydroxyl loss and pore formation. A mechanistic understanding of pore formation in AlO X ALD films is obtained by reference to studies of the structural transformations accompanying the formation of transition aluminas from hydroxide precursors. Additionally, a direct and tunable correlation is established between pore development and the overall hydroxyl content of AlO X ALD coatings.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2016

An X-ray and Neutron Scattering Study of the Formation of Core-Shell Type Polyoxometalates

A typical type of core-shell polyoxometalates can be obtained through the Keggin-type polyoxometalatetemplated growth of a layer of spherical shell structure of {Mo72Fe30}. Small angle X-ray scattering is used to study the structural features and stability of the core-shell structures in aqueous solutions. Timeresolved small angle X-ray scattering is applied to monitor the synthetic reactions and a three-stage formation mechanism is proposed to describe the synthesis of the core-shell polyoxometalates based on the monitoring results. New protocols have been developed by fitting the X-ray data with customed physical models, which provide more convincing, objective, and completed data interpretation. Quasielastic and inelastic neutron scattering are used to probe the dynamics of water molecules in the core-shell structures and two different types of water molecules, the confined and structured water, are observed. These water molecules play an important role in bridging core and shell structures and stabilizing the cluster structures.

Yin, Panchao↗