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At least 145 records · Page 8

Understanding and Developing Dual-Wavelength Olefin Metathesis Polymerizations for the Rapid, Continuous Additive Manufacturing of High-Performance Thermosets

This report details the goals, approach, results, and future needs of a three-year Laboratory Directed Research and Development project funded by Sandia’s Materials Science Research Foundation. In this project, we established basic principles and mechanistic understanding of orthogonal or sequential chemistries for fabricating multi-material or robust materials. We developed numerous additive manufacturing, or 3D-printing, techniques including volumetric solid-state printing, dual-wavelength printing, and lithographic regulation of polymer crystallinity. We leveraged these new printing motifs to expand upon what is possible with manufacturing to give bespoke optical and mechanical performance. Moreover, we discovered new techniques for depolymerization enabling recovery of pristine carbon-fiber and high value electronics under moderate conditions.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Alkylation of lignin-derived aromatic oxygenates with cyclic alcohols on acidic zeolites

Moderately strong BAS and spacious microporous environments (i.e., large-pore acidic zeolites HBEA and HY) are important criteria for efficient alkylation of phenols with cyclic alcohols and alkenes, while very strong BAS appear to be responsible for catalyst deactivation. BAS confined in HBEA and HY pores show substantially higher turnover frequencies compared to solids without molecularly sized pore constraints. HBEA favors the formation of mono-alkylates, while enhanced formation of di-alkylates is observed on HY. Dehydration of alcohols always dominates over the alkylation at the onset of the reaction. Carbenium ions, the direct electrophile for aromatic oxygenates, are produced mainly from the adsorption and protonation of olefins. The present study shows that for the alkylation of phenols and cyclic alcohols in apolar liquids, the alcohol concentration should be kept low to avoid the formation of unreactive surface dimers and mitigate their inhibitory effects on olefin adsorption and protonation.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

A multi-MeV alpha particle source via proton-boron fusion driven by a 10-GW tabletop laser

Nuclear fusion between protons and boron-11 nuclei has undergone a revival of interest thanks to the rapid progress in pulsed laser technology. Potential applications of such reaction range from controlled nuclear fusion to radiobiology and cancer therapy. A laser-driven fusion approach consists in the interaction of high-power, high-intensity pulses with H- and B-rich targets. We report on an experiment exploiting proton-boron fusion in CN-BN targets to obtain high-energy alpha particle beams (up to 5 MeV) using a very compact approach and a tabletop laser system with a peak power of ~10 GW, which can operate at high-repetition rate (up to 1 kHz). The secondary resonance in the cross section of proton-boron fusion (~150 keV in the center-of-mass frame) is exploited using a laser-based approach. The generated alpha particles are characterized in terms of energy, flux, and angular distribution using solid-state nuclear-track detectors, demonstrating a flux of ~10 5 particles per second at 10 Hz, and ~10 6 per second at 1 kHz. Hydrodynamic and particle-in-cell numerical simulations support our experimental findings. Potential impact of our approach on future spread of ultra-compact, multi-MeV alpha particle sources driven by moderate intensity (10 16 -10 17 W/cm 2 ) laser pulses is anticipated.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

Strong anharmonicity dictates ultralow thermal conductivities of type-I clathrates

Type-I clathrate solids have attracted significant interest due to their ultralow thermal conductivities and sub- sequent promise for thermoelectric applications, yet the mechanisms underlying these properties are not well understood. Here, we extend the framework of vibrational dynamical mean-field theory (VDMFT) to calculate temperature-dependent thermal transport properties of solids using a many-body Green’s function approach. When applied to a coarse-grained description of 𝑋 8 Ga 16 Ge 30 , where 𝑋= Ba, Sr, we find that nonresonant scattering between cage acoustic modes and rattling modes leads to a reduction of acoustic phonon lifetimes and thus thermal conductivities. Moreover, we find that the moderate temperature dependence of conductivities above 300 K, which is consistent with experimental measurements, cannot be reproduced by textbook perturbation theory calculations, which predict a 𝑇 −1 dependence. Therefore, we suggest that nonperturbative anharmonic effects, including four- and higher-phonon scattering processes, are responsible for the ultralow thermal conductivities of type-I clathrates.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Role of chemical disorder on radiation-induced defect production and damage evolution in NiFeCoCr

Understanding chemical disorder in many concentrated solid solution alloys (CSAs) at the levels of electrons and atoms has attracted increasing attention as a path forward to reveal and identify underlying mechanisms for extraordinary mechanical properties and improved radiation tolerance. Single-phase NiFeCoCr CSA is a common base for many high-entropy alloys (HEAs) that have shown improved mechanical strength and radiation tolerance. In this study, defect production and damage evolution in NiFeCoCr under ion irradiation at room temperature to dose over 20 dpa are determined using ion channeling technique along both <100> and <110> directions utilizing multiple probing beam energies. The results obtained from the multi-axial and multi-energy channeling analysis are compared with those previously obtained for Ni crystals irradiated under similar conditions. The influence of chemical complexity on defect production and clustering at early-stage under room temperature irradiation up to dose of 1 dpa is discussed based on positron annihilation spectroscopy results. Defect structure evaluation in Ni and NiFeCoCr is also discussed based on transmission electron microscopy results over a prolonged irradiation at both room and elevated temperatures. Compared with chemically complex NiFeCoCr, larger dislocation loops thus less lattice strain are expected to form in pure Ni. Moreover, the role of chemical disorder in this CSA is also investigated based on ab initio calculations using large supercells. Finally, to understand the impact of chemical complexity effect on defect structure evolution, this integrated research effort attempts to link the relatively large charge redistribution due to difference in valence electron counts resulting from alloying different 3d transition metal elements, moderate lattice distortion arising from similar adaptable atomic size, and notable suppressed or delayed damage evolution in NiFeCoCr.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Thermal-shock experiments for separate-effects validation of UO 2 fuel fracture models

Because of the important role that fracture plays in the behavior of ceramic UO2 fuel in a nuclear reactor environment, fracture models are a major component of fuel performance codes. As with any aspect of fuel performance, it is crucial to validate these fracture models against experimental data; however, obtaining well-controlled data for conditions representative of a reactor environment is difficult. Quenching is proposed here as a relatively simple approach for using a laboratory environment to achieve conditions that approximate those of a reactor environment. In this paper, an experimental apparatus containing a single instrumented fuel pellet in a sealed section of copper tubing is developed. It is then applied to a series of seven experiments in which the apparatus is first heated to a high temperature (580-680°C) by immersion in a molten salt bath, then quenched in a cold bath (-10-4 °C). Development of these experiments was guided by numerical simulations, and post-test simulations were performed to aid in understanding the experimental behavior and assessing the accuracy of the predictions of fracture initiation and propagation. In addition, similar experiments were performed on solid copper rods to provide temperature-dependent heat transfer coefficients for use in simulations of these experiments. Here, this study demonstrates that quenching is a viable approach for generating thermal gradients representative of those in prototypical light-water reactor conditions at powers of about 5–10 kW/m. Fracture is expected to begin at these power levels, and moderate amounts of radial and axial cracking was observed in these quenching tests.

11 NUCLEAR FUEL CYCLE AND FUEL MATERIALS↗

Attached and Attaching Three-Dimensional Jets from Circular Nozzles: Analytical Model

Here we evaluate velocity profiles of three dimensional attached jets emerging from circular nozzles. These jets lose momentum due to interactions with nearby surfaces and are important to evaluating flows in mixing vessels and to suspending solids and trapped gases in radioactive waste tanks. Despite the industrial importance of attached jets, simple, complete, and quantitative expressions for their velocity profiles remain elusive. Here we present a quantitative analytical model of the three dimensional velocity profiles of attached jets inclusive of a local skin coefficient of friction. We compare these expressions to experimental velocity profiles at moderate and high nozzle Reynolds numbers to find reasonable quantitative agreement.

Jet, attached jet, offset jet, reattaching offset ↗

Surface-Treated Composite Polymer as a Stable Artificial Solid Electrolyte Interphase Layer for Lithium Metal Anodes

Lithium (Li) metal batteries (LMBs) are one of the most promising high energy density batteries to meet the demands of electric transportation. However, the practical applications of LMBs are hindered by short cycle life and safety concern, mainly associated with side reactions between Li metal anode and liquid electrolyte and the growth of Li dendrites during cycling. In this study, we develop a stable artificial solid electrolyte interphase (aSEI), which consists of a surface-treated (S T ) PEO–Li 6.4 Ga 0.2 La 3 Zr 2 O 12 composite polymer coating layer (CPL) on Li metal anode. The developed aSEI is stable against selected electrolyte and enables a uniform electrodeposition of Li. Therefore, S T CPL@Li||LiNi 0.8 Mn 0.1 Co 0.1 O 2 (NMC811) cells exhibit improved cycling stability compared with bare Li||NMC811 cells at moderate to high current densities. Notably, using a 50 µm thick Li and a practical NMC811 cathode (~4.8 mAh cm -2 ), a capacity retention of 85% is obtained for S T CPL@Li||NMC811 cells at a current density of 2.4 mAcm -2 after 300 cycles compared with 24% for bare Li||NMC811 cells. Furthermore, S T CPL@Li||NMC811 cells demonstrate higher capacities at charge current densities of 2.4, 4.8 and 7.2 mAcm -2 compared with bare Li||NMC811 cells. Further, these findings suggest that S T CPL is promising for high current density practical LMBs.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Modulating Li + and Polysulfide Solvation with Low-Density Moderately Solvating Electrolytes for Lithium–Sulfur Batteries

Lithium–sulfur (Li–S) batteries show great promise as the next-generation rechargeable batteries, yet they still suffer from polysulfide shuttling and interphasial instability. Electrolyte, as the medium for ion transport and sulfur conversion, plays a crucial role in overcoming these challenges. Here, we introduce a moderately solvating electrolyte (MSE) based on low-density, low-viscosity, and nonfluorinated ether co-solvents that balances polysulfide suppression, Li metal stabilization, and redox kinetics. Through multiple solvent–solvent and solvent-ion interactions, the optimized MSE weakens Li + -solvent pairing while strengthening cation–anion interactions, thereby lowering the desolvation barrier and promoting the formation of a favorable solid–electrolyte interphase (SEI). Meanwhile, MSE limits the polysulfide dissolution but improves the accessibility of active material through better wettability and tailored solvation environment, leading to an altered sulfur deposition mechanism with β – α conversion. This approach enables a stable cycling of high-mass loading Li–S cells (> 3.5 mg cm -2 ) at both room temperature and 45 °C (where shuttling and side reactions are severer), and demonstrates a pouch cell with lean electrolyte content (4.5 µL mg s -1 ). This work highlights a practical route to develop high-performance electrolyte for Li–S cells and provides mechanistic insights into their operation.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Proton-conducting oxides for energy conversion and storage

Proton-conducting oxides are a class of solid-state ion-conducting ceramic materials that demonstrate significant hydrogen ion (proton) conductivity at intermediate temperatures (e.g., 300–700 °C). They are garnering significant attention due to several unique characteristics that distinguish them from both higher temperature oxygen ion conducting oxides and lower temperature proton-conducting polymers. By enabling proton-mediated electrochemistry under both dry and wet environments at moderate temperatures, protonic ceramics provide unique opportunities to enhance or synergize a diverse range of complementary electrochemical and thermochemical processes. Because of this potential, significant efforts have been devoted to advancing numerous energy-related applications using these materials. This review aims to comprehensively summarize these applications and analyze the most up-to-date and future developments of proton-conducting oxides. We aim to bring together this diverse subject matter by integrating the fundamentals of proton-conducting oxides with application-oriented insights. We begin with a historical roadmap, followed by a basic overview of the materials, theories and fundamentals, and fabrication and processing technologies underlying the field. The central section of our review summarizes major applications and developments of proton-conducting ceramics, ranging from maturing applications approaching commercialization to embryonic technologies just now emerging from the lab. These include protonic ceramic fuel cells, protonic ceramic electrolysis cells, reversible protonic ceramic electrochemical cells, protonic ceramic membrane reactors, and protonic ceramic electrochemical reactors. For each application, we analyze both the prospects and challenges and offer recommendations for future research directions so that tomorrow's researchers can continue to advance the development and commercialization of these fascinating materials.

Duan, Chuancheng (ORCID:0000000218261415)↗

Xenon compatibility in magmatic processes: Hadean to current contexts

Xenon (Xe) behaviour in petrological processes, albeit essential to constrain mantle ingassing and degassing models, is elusive due to its volatile nature, and lack of direct investigation at the pressures (P) and temperatures (T) relevant to magma formation and crystallisation at depth. Xenon stands out amongst noble gases due to its unique reactivity with silicates of the lower crust and upper mantle, which could at least partially explain that published mineral/melt partitioning coefficients span up to six orders of magnitude. We report partition coefficients of Xe using in situ X-ray fluorescence at high P and T, and mass spectrometry analyses. Xenon is found to be moderately incompatible in anorthite-clinopyroxene mix in equilibrium with basalt (partition coefficient value of 0.16 ± 0.06), and compatible in olivine in equilibrium with basalt (partition coefficients in the range 88 ± 22 to 302 ± 46). While Xe is, thus, concentrated in basaltic melts coexisting with crystallising pyroxenes and feldspars, it is strongly retained in olivine at depth. Consequently, Xe originally contained in solid Earth has been preferentially retained at depth throughout Earth’s history, from the magma ocean stages to present day partial mantle melting processes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Polycarbonate‐Based Solid‐Polymer Electrolytes for Solid‐State Sodium Batteries

Solid-polymer electrolytes comprised of polypropylene carbonate (PPC) and varied sodium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (NaFSI) salt concentrations are investigated for implementation as a conductive solid polymer electrolyte into solid-state cathode composites utilizing a sodium-layered oxide active material. The ionic conductivity generally increases with NaFSI salt content, reaching ≈1 mS cm −1 at 80 °C at the highest salt concentration (PPC:NaFSI = 0.5:1). Through an all-in-one slurry casting method, Na 2/3 Ni 1/3 Mn 2/3 O 2 cathode composites are fabricated in which the dispersed PPC electrolyte acts as the primary binder. Enabled by a bilayer polymer electrolyte system, cycling performance with the PPC cathode electrolyte is optimized with respect to salt concentration and anode material. The best cyclability is achieved with a moderate salt concentration electrolyte (PPC:NaFSI = 5:1), showcasing an initial capacity of 83 mA h g −1 with a remarkable 80% capacity retention after 150 cycles at C/5 rate and 60 °C. The superior performance of the lower salt concentration electrolyte is attributed to better electrochemical stability, as confirmed by linear sweep voltammetry and online electrochemical mass spectrometry measurements. In conclusion, these results underscore the potential of carbonate-based polymer electrolytes and the importance of balancing electrolyte conductivity and stability in cell design.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Moderate active Fe 3+ doping enables improved cationic and anionic redox reactions for wide-voltage-range sodium storage

Layered metal oxides are promising cathode materials for sodium-ion batteries (SIBs) due to their high theoretical specific capacity and wide Na + diffusion channels. However, the irreversible phase transitions and cationic/anionic redoxes cause fast capacity decay. Herein, P2-type Na 0.67 Mg 0.1 Mn 0.8 Fe 0.1 O 2 (NMMF-1) cathode material with moderate active Fe 3+ doping has been designed for sodium storage. Uneven Mn 3+ /Mn 4+ distribution is observed in NMMF-1 and the introduction of Fe 3+ is beneficial for reducing the Mn 3+ contents both at the surface and in the bulk to alleviate the Jahn–Teller effect. The moderate Fe 3+ /Fe 4+ redox can realize the best tradeoff between capacity and cyclability. Therefore, the NMMF-1 demonstrates a high capacity (174.7 mAh g -1 at 20 mA g -1 ) and improved cyclability (78.5% over 100 cycles) in a wide-voltage range of 1.5–4.5 V (vs. Na + /Na). In-situ X-ray diffraction reveals a complete solid-solution reaction with a small volume change of 1.7% during charge/discharge processes and the charge compensation is disclosed in detail. This study will provide new insights into designing high-capacity and stable layered oxide cathode materials for SIBs.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Atomic-scale in situ observation of electron beam and heat induced crystallization of Ge nanoparticles and transformation of Ag@Ge core-shell nanocrystals

Crystallization of amorphous materials by thermal annealing has been investigated for numerous applications in the fields of nanotechnology, such as thin-film transistors and thermoelectric devices. The phase transition and shape evolution of amorphous germanium (Ge) and Ag@Ge core–shell nanoparticles with average diameters of 10 and 12 nm, respectively, were investigated by high-energy electron beam irradiation and in situ heating within a transmission electron microscope. The transition of a single Ge amorphous nanoparticle to the crystalline diamond cubic structure at the atomic scale was clearly demonstrated. Depending on the heating temperature, a hollow Ge structure can be maintained or transformed into a solid Ge nanocrystal through a diffusive process during the amorphous to crystalline phase transition. Selected area diffraction patterns were obtained to confirm the crystallization process. In addition, the thermal stability of Ag@Ge core–shell nanoparticles with an average core of 7.4 and a 2.1 nm Ge shell was studied by applying the same beam conditions and temperatures. The results show that at a moderate temperature (e.g., 385 °C), the amorphous Ge shell can completely crystallize while maintaining the well-defined core–shell structure, while at a high temperature (e.g., 545 °C), the high thermal energy enables a freely diffusive process of both Ag and Ge atoms on the carbon support film and leads to transformation into a phase segregated Ag–Ge Janus nanoparticle with a clear interface between the Ag and Ge domains. In conclusion, this study provides a protocol as well as insight into the thermal stability and strain relief mechanism of complex nanostructures at the single nanoparticle level with atomic resolution.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Entropy generation from hydrodynamic mixing in inertial confinement fusion indirect-drive targets

The increase in entropy from the physical mixing of two adjacent materials in inertial confinement fusion (ICF) implosions and gas-filled hohlraums is analytically assessed. An idealized model of entropy generation from the mixing of identical ideal-gas particles across a material interface in the presence of pressure and temperature gradients is applied. Physically, mix-driven entropy generation refers to the work done by the gases in expanding into a larger common volume from atomic mixing under the condition of no internal energy change, or work needed to restore the initial unmixed state. Furthermore, the effect of a mix-generated entropy increase is analytically shown to lead to less compression of the composite ICF fluid under adiabatic conditions. The amount of entropy generation is estimated to be ~10 J for a Rayleigh–Taylor-induced micrometer-scale annular mixing layer between the solid deuterium–tritium fuel and (undoped) high-density carbon pusher of an imploding capsule at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). This level of entropy generation is consistent with lower-than-expected fuel compressions measured on the NIF [Hurricane et al., Phys. Plasmas 26, 052704 (2019)]. The degree of entropy increase from mixing of high-Z hohlraum wall material and low-Z, moderate- to high-density gas fills is estimated to lead to ~100 kJ of heat generation for NIF-scale experiments [Moody et al., Phys. Plasmas 21, 056317 (2014)]. This value represents a significant fraction of the inferred missing x-ray drive energy based on observed delays in capsule implosion times compared with mainline simulations [Jones et al., Phys. Plasmas 19, 056315 (2012)].

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Synthesis, Crystal and Electronic Structures, Nonlinear Optical Properties, and Magnetic Properties of Two Thiophosphates: KInP 2 S 7 and KCrP 2 S 7

Two thiophosphates, KInP 2 S 7 and KCrP 2 S 7 , were structurally characterized without investigating any optical properties. Herein in this work, KInP 2 S 7 and KCrP 2 S 7 were revisited to investigate their optical and magnetic properties, respectively. Pure polycrystalline samples and crystals of KInP 2 S 7 and KCrP 2 S 7 were grown by high temperature solid state reactions, where mm-sized crystals of KCrP 2 S 7 were collected. KCrP 2 S 7 is isostructural to KInP 2 S 7 , which features a layered structure. KInP 2 S 7 and KCrP 2 S 7 possess close relationship to the layered thiophosphate M 2 P 2 S 6 (M = Fe, Co, Zn, etc.). The bonding pictures of KInP 2 S 7 were studied using the electron localization function (ELF) coupled with crystal orbital Hamilton population (COHP) calculations. The intrinsically distorted [PS 4 ] tetrahedra and [InS 6 ] octahedra are made by strong covalent P-S interactions and ionic In-S interactions, respectively. Electronic structure analysis confirmed that the optical properties of KInP 2 S 7 are mainly contributed to by [PS 4 ] tetrahedra together with small amounts of the contributions coming from [InS 6 ] octahedra. Magnetic measurement on mm-sized crystals of KCrP 2 S 7 verified that there is an antiferromagnetic transition around 21 K, and the Cr atoms are trivalent. KInP 2 S 7 is predicated to be an indirect bandgap semiconductor of 2.38 eV, which is confirmed by the UV-Vis measurement of 2.4(1) eV. KInP 2 S 7 is not a type-I phase-matching material and exhibits moderate second harmonic generation (SHG) response (0.51 × AgGaS 2 , sample of particle size of 100 µm). The laser damage threshold (LDT) of KInP 2 S 7 is very high of 5.2 × AgGaS 2 . Bandgap engineering were undergone to enhance the SHG response of KInP 2 S 7 .

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Metathesis, molecular redistribution of alkanes, and the chemical upgrading of low-density polyethylene

Here, a new strategy for polyethylene (PE) deconstruction via alkane metathesis is presented, in which WO x /SiO 2 catalyzes the olefin metathesis reaction step. Zeolite 4 A is an essential component to protect the metathesis active sites from poisoning by in-situ-generated oxygenates in a batch reaction system. High conversion of 1-hexadecene (96%) and n-hexadecane (92%)—surrogates of long-chain molecules—demonstrates the high reactivity of WO x /SiO 2 metathesis catalyst for olefin and alkane metathesis reactions, respectively, at moderate reaction temperatures of 300 °C for 2–3 h. Pretreatment temperature and length of the short n-alkane-chain solvent significantly affect the metathesis reactivity and selectivity. Results for the deconstruction of low-density PE (LDPE) in n-decane demonstrate a remarkable potential for PE upgrading with the advantages of short reaction times (3 h), the low mass ratio of solvent to LDPE, and the production of solid products with narrow molecular weight distributions.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Optimization of metal-supported solid oxide electrolysis cells with infiltrated catalysts

We report metal-supported solid oxide electrolysis cells (MS-SOECs) are being developed for steam-to-hydrogen electrolysis, especially for utilization of dynamic or intermittent electrical power from renewable sources. Various aspects of the electrocatalyst processing and composition, and metal support structure were explored. Catalyst materials, infiltration temperature and infiltration cycles were optimized for high performance and durability. Numerous catalyst materials were screened for both oxygen and steam electrodes. The oxygen catalyst had moderate impact on both initial cell performance and durability. Reducing Ni content in the steam electrode had little effect on durability, but reduced initial performance. Ex-situ XRD analysis and cell assessment of catalyst infiltration temperature revealed that the optimal range is 750–850 °C. The best cell performance and durability was achieved with LSCF-SDC oxygen electrocatalyst and SDC-Ni (60:40 vol%) steam electrocatalyst infiltrated 11 times at 800 °C and operated at 700 °C. At low steam content, a significant mass transport limitation on the steam side results in limiting current behavior. Thinner and more porous metal supports were implemented, and found to improve steam mass transport at low steam content, relevant for SOECs operating under high H 2 recycle rate or high steam utilization.

08 HYDROGEN↗