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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 1,711 records · Page 95
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2014

Experimental Evaluation and Optimization of Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulations for Ion Mobility Spectrometry with Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry

We report on the performance of Structures for Lossless Ion Manipulation (SLIM) devices as a means for transmitting ions and performing ion mobility separations (IMS). Ions were successfully transferred from an electrospray ionization (ESI) source to the TOF MS analyzer by means of a linear SLIM device and an alternative arrangement including a 90° turn. First, the linear geometry was optimized for radial confinement by tuning RF on the central ‘rung’ electrodes and potentials on the DC-only guard electrodes. Selecting an appropriate DC guard bias (2-6 V) and RF amplitude (≥160 Vp-p at 750 kHz) resulted in the greatest ion intensities. Close to ideal IMS resolving power was maintained over a range of applied voltages. Second, the 90° turn was optimized for radial confinement by tuning the RF on the rung electrodes and DC on the guard electrodes; however, both resolving power and ion transmission showed a dependence on these voltages and the best conditions for both were > 300 Vp-p RF (685 kHz) and 7-11 V guard DC bias. Both geometries provide IMS resolving powers at the theoretical limit (R~58), showing that the negative “racetrack” effect from turning around a corner can be successfully avoided, as well as the capability for essentially lossless ion transmission.

conveyor↗
DOE OSTI2021

Local Structural Disorder in Metavanadates MV 2 O 6 (M = Zn and Cu) Synthesized by the Deep Eutectic Solvent Route: Photoactive Oxides with Oxygen Vacancies

Metavanadates MV 2 O 6–δ (M = Zn and Cu) are synthesized by using a deep eutectic solvent (DES), a mixture of hydrogen bond donor and acceptor, as a reaction medium. Dissolution of stable binary metal oxides in a DES followed by a heat treatment yields phase-pure vanadates. According to in situ powder X-ray diffraction, ternary phases (α-Zn 2 V 2 O 7 and β-Cu 2–x V 2 O 7 , x ~ 0.27) are intermediates in the reaction pathway taken. Identifying a polymorphic phase transformation temperature for CuV 2 O 6 as well as the narrow temperature range between formation and decomposition for both metavanadates allows for tackling the challenge of the synthesis of these materials. The oxygen vacancy introduced by the DES route is accompanied by the formation of reduced V 4+ and Cu + in the oxide matrix, based on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. These oxygen vacancies modify the vibrational modes in the corresponding Raman spectra and are also responsible for broad optical absorptions in the 1.8–1.1 eV range. The optical band gaps of the materials are found at 1.8 eV (CuV 2 O 6 ) and 2.2 eV (ZnV 2 O 6 ), approximately 0.1–0.3 eV below the values reported in the literature. The reduced band gaps and sub-band gap photon absorption are key features of the oxygen-deficient metavanadates. Surface photovoltage spectroscopy reveals that all the synthesized vanadates are n-type materials with electrons as the majority charge carriers, and photoelectrochemical measurements confirm photoanodic currents for methanol oxidation. Furthermore, these results provide insight into the synthesis and structure–property relationship of the metavanadates for their potential use as photoanodes.

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

Structural Interconversion between Agglomerated Palladium Domains and Mononuclear Pd(II) Cations in Chabazite Zeolites

Palladium-exchanged zeolites are candidate materials for passive NO x adsorption in automotive exhaust aftertreatment, where mononuclear Pd cations behave as precursors to the purported NO x adsorption sites. Yet, the structures of zeolite lattice binding sites capable of stabilizing mononuclear Pd 2+ ions, and the mechanisms that interconvert agglomerated PdO and Pd domains into mononuclear Pd 2+ ions during Pd redispersion treatments, remain incompletely understood. In this work, we use a suite of spectroscopic methods and quantitative site titration techniques to characterize mononuclear and agglomerated Pd species on zeolites with varying material properties and treatment history. Aqueous-phase methods to introduce Pd onto NH 4 -form zeolites initially form mononuclear [Pd(NH 3 ) 4 ] 2+ complexes, but subsequent thermal treatments (573–723 K; air) lead to in situ formation of H 2 that first reduces Pd 2+ to metallic Pd domains, which are then oxidized by air to PdO domains. Progressive treatment of Pd-zeolites in air to higher temperatures (723–1023 K) converts larger fractions of agglomerated PdO to mononuclear Pd 2+ , as quantified by H 2 temperature programmed reduction, because higher temperature treatments facilitate Pd redispersion toward deeper locations within chabazite (CHA) crystallites, which is corroborated by complementary titrimetric and spectroscopic data. Pd-CHA zeolites synthesized with similar bulk Pd and framework Al content, but varying framework Al arrangement, provide evidence that six-membered rings (6-MR) hosting paired Al sites (Al–O–(Si–O) x –Al, x = 1, 2) stabilize Pd 2+ ions and that otherwise isolated Al sites can stabilize [PdOH] + species, identifiable by an IR OH stretch at 3660 cm –1 . These findings clarify the underlying chemical processes and gas environments that cause Pd agglomeration in zeolites and their subsequent redispersion to mononuclear Pd 2+ ions, which prefer binding at 6-MR paired Al sites in CHA, and indicate that higher temperature air treatments lead to more uniform Pd spatial distributions throughout zeolite crystallites.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Photochemical Formation and Transformation of Birnessite: Effects of Cations on Micromorphology and Crystal Structure

As important components with excellent oxidation and adsorption activity in soils and sediments, manganese oxides affect the transportation and fate of nutrients and pollutants in natural environments. In this work, birnessite was formed by photocatalytic oxidation of Mn 2+ aq in the presence of nitrate under solar irradiation. The effects of concentrations and species of interlayer cations (Na + , Mg 2+ , and K + ) on birnessite crystal structure and micromorphology were investigated. The roles of adsorbed Mn 2+ and pH in the transformation of the photosynthetic birnessite were further studied. The results indicated that Mn 2+ aq was oxidized to birnessite by superoxide radicals (O 2 •– ) generated from the photolysis of NO 3 – under UV irradiation. The particle size and thickness of birnessite decreased with increasing cation concentration. The birnessite showed a plate-like morphology in the presence of K + , while exhibited a rumpled sheet-like morphology when Na + or Mg 2+ was used. The different micromorphologies of birnessites could be ascribed to the position of cations in the interlayer. The adsorbed Mn 2+ and high pH facilitated the reduction of birnessite to low-valence manganese oxides including hausmannite, feitknechtite, and manganite. Finally, this study suggests that interlayer cations and Mn 2+ play essential roles in the photochemical formation and transformation of birnessite in aqueous environments.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Electronic Structure of Manganese Corroles Revisited: X-ray Structures, Optical and X-ray Absorption Spectroscopies, and Electrochemistry as Probes of Ligand Noninnocence

Presented herein is a detailed multitechnique investigation of ligand noninnocence in S = 3/2 manganese corrole derivatives at the formal Mn IV oxidation state. The Soret maxima of Mn[T p XPC]Cl (T p XPC = meso -tris( p -X-phenyl)corrole, where X = CF 3 , H, Me, and OMe) were found to red-shift over a range of 37 nm with increasing electron-donating character of X. For Mn[T p XPC]Ph, in contrast, the complex Soret envelopes were found to be largely independent of X. These observations suggested a noninnocent corrole •2– -like ligand for the MnCl complexes and an innocent corrole 3– ligand for the MnPh complexes. Single-crystal X-ray structures of three Mn[T p XPC]Cl complexes revealed skeletal bond-length alternations indicative of a noninnocent corrole, while no such alternation was observed for Mn[T p OMePC]Ph. B3LYP density functional theory (DFT) calculations on Mn[TPC]Cl yielded strong spatial separation of the α and β spin densities, consistent with an antiferromagnetically coupled Mn III -corrole •2– description. By comparison, relatively little spatial separation of the α and β spin densities was found for Mn[TPC]Ph, consistent with an essentially Mn IV -corrole 3– description. X-ray absorption of near-edge spectroscopy (XANES) revealed a moderate blue shift of 0.6 eV for the Mn K-pre-edge of Mn[T p CF 3 PC]Ph and a striking enhancement of the pre-edge intensity, relative to Mn[T p CF 3 PC]Cl, consistent with a more oxidized, i.e., Mn IV , center in Mn[T p CF 3 PC]Ph. Time-dependent DFT calculations indicated that the enhanced intensity of the Mn K-pre-edge of Mn[T p CF 3 PC]Ph results from the extra 3d z 2 hole, which mixes strongly with the Mn 4p z orbital. Combined with similar results on Fe[TPC]Cl and Fe[TPC]Ph, the present study underscores the considerable potential of metal K-edge XANES in probing ligand noninnocence in first-row transition-metal corroles. As a result, cyclic voltammetry measurements revealed highly negative first reduction potentials for the Mn[T p XPC]Ph series (~–0.95 V) as well as large electrochemical HOMO-LUMO gaps of ~1.7 V. The first reductions, however, are irreversible, suggesting cleavage of the Mn–Ph bond.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2018

Examination of Structure and Bonding in 10-Coordinate Europium and Americium Terpyridyl Complexes

M(TpyNO 2 )(NO 3 ) 3 (H 2 O)·THF (M = La, Ce, Nd, Sm, Eu, Am; TpyNO 2 = 4’-nitrophenyl terpyridyl) have been prepared from the reaction of M(NO 3 ) 3 ·nH 2 O with TpyNO 2 in THF. Structural analysis shows that the metal centers are ten-coordinate, providing the first example of Am III with this coordination number. Further spectroscopic and theoretical evaluation of these complexes reveals utilization of the 5f orbitals in bonding in the Am III complex. Comparison of Nd‒L, Eu‒L, and Am‒L bond distances demonstrates that some caution should be taken in comparing Eu III versus Am III in extraction experiments.

anions↗
DOE OSTI2018

Design and Synthesis of Highly Potent HIV-1 Protease Inhibitors Containing Tricyclic Fused Ring Systems as Novel P2 Ligands: Structure–Activity Studies, Biological and X-ray Structural Analysis

The design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of a new class of HIV-1 protease inhibitors containing stereochemically defined fused tricyclic polyethers as the P2 ligands and a variety of sulfonamide derivatives as the P2' ligands are described. A number of ring sizes and various substituent effects were investigated to enhance the ligand–backbone interactions in the protease active site. Inhibitors 5c and 5d containing this unprecedented fused 6–5–5 ring system as the P2 ligand, an aminobenzothiazole as the P2' ligand, and a difluorophenylmethyl as the P1 ligand exhibited exceptional enzyme inhibitory potency and maintained excellent antiviral activity against a panel of highly multidrug-resistant HIV-1 variants. The umbrella-like P2 ligand for these inhibitors has been synthesized efficiently in an optically active form using a Pauson–Khand cyclization reaction as the key step. The racemic alcohols were resolved efficiently using a lipase catalyzed enzymatic resolution. As a result, two high resolution X-ray structures of inhibitor-bound HIV-1 protease revealed extensive interactions with the backbone atoms of HIV-1 protease and provided molecular insight into the binding properties of these new inhibitors.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2018

Design and Synthesis of Potent HIV-1 Protease Inhibitors Containing Bicyclic Oxazolidinone Scaffold as the P2 Ligands: Structure–Activity Studies and Biological and X-ray Structural Studies

In this work, we have designed, synthesized, and evaluated a new class of potent HIV-1 protease inhibitors with novel bicyclic oxazolidinone derivatives as the P2 ligand. We have developed an enantioselective synthesis of these bicyclic oxazolidinones utilizing a key o-iodoxybenzoic acid mediated cyclization. Several inhibitors displayed good to excellent activity toward HIV-1 protease and significant antiviral activity in MT-4 cells. Compound 4k has shown an enzyme Ki of 40 pM and antiviral IC50 of 31 nM. Inhibitors 4k and 4l were evaluated against a panel of highly resistant multidrug-resistant HIV-1 variants, and their fold-changes in antiviral activity were similar to those observed with darunavir. Additionally, two X-ray crystal structures of the related inhibitors 4a and 4e bound to HIV-1 protease were determined at 1.22 and 1.30 Å resolution, respectively, and revealed important interactions in the active site that have not yet been explored.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2020

Effect of Anisotropic Confinement on Electronic Structure and Dynamics of Band Edge Excitons in Inorganic Perovskite Nanowires

Inorganic lead halide perovskite nanostructures show promise as the active layers in photovoltaics, light emitting diodes, and other optoelectronic devices. They are robust in the presence of oxygen and water, and the electronic structure and dynamics of these nanostructures can be tuned through quantum confinement. Here we create aligned bundles of CsPbBr3 nanowires with widths resulting in quantum confinement of the electronic wave functions and subject them to ultrafast microscopy. We directly image rapid one-dimensional exciton diffusion along the nanowires, and we measure an exciton trap density of roughly one per nanowire. Using transient absorption microscopy, we observe a polarization-dependent splitting of the band edge exciton line, and from the polarized fluorescence of nanowires in solution, we determine that the exciton transition dipole moments are anisotropic in strength. Furthermore, our observations are consistent with a model in which splitting is driven by shape anisotropy in conjunction with long-range exchange.

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

The Influence of Water on the Alkyl Region Structure in Variable Chain Length Imidazolium-Based Ionic Liquid/Water Mixtures

In this work, solutions of room temperature ionic liquids (RTILs) and water were studied by observing the reorientational dynamics of the fluorescent probe perylene. Perylene is solvated in the alkyl regions of the RTILs. Its D 2h symmetry made it possible to extract dynamical information on both in-plane and out-of-plane reorientation from time resolved fluorescence anisotropy measurements. Perylene reorientation reports on its interactions with the alkyl chains. The RTILs were a series of 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium tetrafluoroborates (C n mimBF 4 , where n is the number of carbons in the alkyl chain), and the effects on perylene’s dynamics were observed when varying the alkyl chain length of the cation (n = 4, 6, 8, and 10; butyl, hexyl, octyl, decyl) and varying the water content from pure RTIL to roughly three water molecules per RTIL ion pair. Time correlated single photon counting was used to measure the fluorescence anisotropy decays to determine the orientational dynamics. The friction coefficients for both the in-plane and out-of-plane reorientation were determined to eliminate the influence of changes in viscosity caused by both the addition of water and the different alkyl chain lengths. The friction coefficients provided information on the interactions of the perylene with it alkyl environment and how these interactions changed with chain length and water content. As chain length increased, the addition of water had less of an effect on the local alkyl environment surrounding the perylene. The friction coefficients generally increased with higher water contents; the inplane orientational motion was hindered significantly more than the out-of-plane motion. The restructuring of the alkyl regions is likely a consequence of a rearrangement of the ionic imidazolium head groups to accommodate partial solvation by water, which results in a change in the arrangement of the alkyl chains. At very high water content, BmimBF4 broke this general trend, with both in-plane and out-of-plane rotational friction decreasing above a water content of one water per ion pair. This decrease indicates a major reorganization of the overall liquid structure in high water content mixtures. In contrast to BmimBF 4 , the longer chain length RTILs are not infinitely miscible with water, and do not show evidence of a major reorganization before reaching saturation and phase-separating. The results suggest that phase separation in longer chain length BF 4 RTILs is a consequence of their inability to undergo the reorganization of the alkyl regions necessary to accommodate high water concentrations.

14 SOLAR ENERGY↗
DOE OSTI2017

Density functional analysis of fluorite-structured (Ce, Zr)O 2 /CeO 2 interfaces [Density functional analysis of fluorite-structured (Ce, Zr)O 2 /CeO 2 interfaces: Implications for catalysis and energy applications]

The structures and properties of Ce 1–x Zr x O 2 (x = 0–1) solid solutions, selected Ce 1–x Zr x O 2 surfaces, and Ce 1–x Zr x O 2 /CeO 2 interfaces were computed within the framework of density functional theory corrected for strong electron correlation (DFT+ U ). The calculated Debye temperature increases steadily with Zr content in (Ce, Zr)O 2 phases, indicating a significant rise in microhardness from CeO 2 to ZrO 2 , without appreciable loss in ductility as the interfacial stoichiometry changes. Surface energy calculations for the low-index CeO 2 (111) and (110) surfaces show limited sensitivity to strong 4f-electron correlation. The fracture energy of Ce 1–x Zr x O 2 (111)/CeO 2 (111) increases markedly with Zr content, with a significant decrease in energy for thicker Ce 1–x Zr x O 2 films. These findings suggest the crucial role of Zr acting as a binder at the Ce 1–x Zr x O 2 /CeO 2 interfaces, due to the more covalent character of Zr–O bonds compared to Ce–O. Finally, the impact of surface relaxation upon interface cracking was assessed and found to reach a maximum for Ce 0.25 Zr 0.75 O 2 /CeO 2 interfaces.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2020

Organic-Inorganic Reaction of Li-Containing thin film: Structure of Lithium Propane Dioxide via MLD

In combining organometallic with organic precursors, molecular layer deposition (MLD) offers not only an expanded portfolio of molecular combinations but specifically the possibility of tuning mechanical properties for more robust functionality. This is appealing for applications in energy storage, where ion transport in and out of electrodes causes significant stress/strain cycling. It is particularly opportune for Li-ion solid state batteries (LISSBs), where electrode and solid electrolyte structures are usually arranged densely for high power and energy. Despite diverse MLD applications to date, little prior research has been aimed at Li-containing MLD materials and processes. Here, we report the MLD growth and process for a lithium-containing organic thin film using lithium tert-butoxide (LiO t Bu) and 1,3-propanediol, leading to an MLD film of lithium propane dioxide, Li 2 O 2 C 3 H 6 (LPDO), identified through X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and ab initio calculations. The growth showed self-limiting behavior for both precursors, with significant nucleation delay before linear growth at 0.23 Å/cycle at 150 °C, and 0.15 Å/cycle at 200 °C. XPS-determined stoichiometry was Li 1.6 O 2.2 C 3 H 6 at both 150 and 200 °C, while additional species, presumably from incomplete reaction, were found at 100 °C, leading to a notably higher (0.84 Å/cycle) growth rate. The LPDO film showed crystallinity and high surface roughness when grown on the crystalline substrate, while on the amorphous substrate, an amorphous LPDO film with low surface roughness was observed. In addition, high air sensitivity of LPDO film was observed, with Li propyl carbonate and Li carbonate formation under air exposure. Further modification strategies were proposed in order to achieve a MLD or atomic layer deposition-/MLD-based solid electrolyte material.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗
DOE OSTI2018

Phase Stability and Electronic Structure of Prospective Sb-Based Mixed Sulfide and Iodide 3D Perovskite (CH 3 NH 3 )SbSI 2

Lead-free antimony-based mixed sulfide and iodide perovskite phases have recently been reported to be synthesized experimentally and to exhibit reasonable photovoltaic performance. In this work, through a combination of experimental validation and computational analysis, we show no evidence of the formation of the mixed sulfide and iodide perovskite phase, MASbSI 2 (MA = CH 3 NH 3 + ), and instead that the main products are a mixture of the binary and ternary compounds (Sb 2 S 3 and MA 3 Sb 2 I 9 ). Density functional theory calculations also indicate that such a mixed sulfide and iodide perovskite phase should be thermodynamically less stable compared with binary/ternary anion-segregated secondary phases and less likely to be synthesized under equilibrium conditions. Additionally, band structure calculations show that this mixed sulfide and iodide phase, if possible to synthesize (e.g., under nonequilibrium conditions), should have a suitable direct band gap for photovoltaic application.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗