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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 19 records
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Bulk and Short-Circuit Anion Diffusion in Epitaxial Fe 2 O 3 Films Quantified Using Buried Isotopic Tracer Layers

Self-diffusion is a fundamental physical process that, in solid materials, is intimately correlated with both microstructure and functional properties. In this work, a universal approach is presented to precisely characterize self-diffusion in ionic solids by isotopically enriching anions and/or cations at specific locations within an epitaxial film stack, and characterize their redistribution at high spatial resolution with atom probe tomography. Nanoscale anion diffusivity is quantified in epitaxial α-Fe 2 O 3 thin films deposited by molecular beam epitaxy with a thin (10 nm) buried layer highly enriched in 18 O. The isotopic sensitivity of the atom probe allows precise measurement of 18 O distribution across the sharp interfaces between this layer and the surrounding Fe 2 O 3 after annealing. Short-circuit anion diffusion through 1D and 2D structural defects in Fe 2 O 3 are also directly visualized in 3D. This versatile approach to study precisely tailored thin film samples at high spatial and mass fidelity will facilitate a deeper understanding of atomic-scale diffusion phenomena.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Quantifying Anionic Diffusion in 2D Halide Perovskite Lateral Heterostructures

Anionic diffusion strongly impacts the stability of halide perovskite materials, but it is still not well understood. Here, a quantitative investigation of in-plane thermally driven anionic inter-diffusion in a series of novel 2D and quasi-2D halide perovskites lateral heterostructures is reported. The calculated diffusion coefficients (D) reveal the inhibition of Br–I inter-diffusion with bulky π-conjugated organic cations compared with short-chain aliphatic organic cations. Furthermore, halide diffusion is found to be faster in quasi-2D (n > 1) than 2D perovskites (n = 1). The increment becomes less apparent as the “n” number increases, akin to the quantum confinement effect observed for band gaps. These trends are rationalized by molecular dynamics simulations of free energy barriers for halide diffusion that reveal mechanisms for suppressing diffusion. We report this work provides important fundamental insights on the anionic migration and diffusion process in halide perovskite materials.

2D materials↗
DOE OSTI2021

Radiation Enhanced Anion Diffusion in Chromia

Cr 2 O 3 is a ubiquitous passivating film on alloys that is vital to their stability and performance in hostile environments. In this study, we directly observe and measure how anion transport through the oxide is affected by 400 keV Ar 2+ ion irradiation as a function of temperature (30–500 °C) and dose (0.33–2.00 dpa) in single-crystal Cr 2 O 3 films using embedded 18 O isotopic tracers and atom probe tomography. Diffusion coefficients are experimentally determined and compared to a chemical rate theory model. Experimental and theoretical results are broadly in agreement, showing anion diffusion increases by at least 4–5 orders of magnitude upon irradiation with a weak dependence on temperature and a stronger dose-driven sink-strength dependence. These results reveal that radiation could significantly reduce the protectiveness of Cr 2 O 3 films when passivity relies upon limited anion diffusivity, even at relatively modest levels of irradiation and low temperatures.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2021

Modifying Li + and Anion Diffusivities in Polyacetal Electrolytes: A Pulsed-Field-Gradient NMR Study of Ion Self-Diffusion

Polyacetal electrolytes have been demonstrated as promising alternatives to liquid electrolytes and poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) for rechargeable lithium-ion batteries; however, the relationship between polymer structure and ion motion is difficult to characterize. Here, we study structure-property trends in ion diffusion with respect to polymer composition for a systematic series of five polyacetals with varying ratios of ethylene oxide (EO) to methylene oxide (MO) units, denoted as P(xEO-yMO), and PEO. We first use 7 Li and 19 F pulsed-field-gradient NMR spectroscopy to measure cation and anion self-diffusion, respectively, in polymer/lithium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide (LiTFSI) salt mixtures. At 90 °C, we observe modest changes in Li + diffusivity across all polymer compositions, while anion (TFSI - ) self-diffusion coefficients decrease significantly with increasing MO content. At a given reduced temperature (T - T g ), all polyacetal electrolytes exhibit faster Li + self-diffusion than PEO. Intriguingly, P(EO-MO) and P(EO-2MO) also show slower TFSI - anion self-diffusion than PEO at a given reduced temperature. Molecular dynamics simulations reveal that shorter distances between acetal oxygen atoms (O-CH 2 -O) compared to ether oxygens (O-CH 2 -CH 2 -O) promote more diverse, often asymmetric, Li + coordination environments. Finally, Raman spectra reveal that anion-rich ion clusters in P(EO-MO) and P(EO-2MO) lead to decreased anion diffusivity, which along with increased cation diffusivity, support the viability of polyacetals as high-performance polymer electrolytes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2022

Anion diffusion in two-dimensional halide perovskites

Commercialization of halide perovskites in the semiconductor industry is hindered by their short-term stability. The instability of perovskites is closely interlinked with ionic diffusion. Historically, attempts to study diffusion in 2D perovskites mostly utilized electrical characterizations, but these characterizations pose a challenge in deconvoluting the impact of device architecture, interlayers, and ionic species. In this Perspective, we focus our attention on simple optical characterizations employed in the literature to investigate halide diffusion in 2D perovskites using lateral and vertical heterostructure platforms. We review the various synthesis techniques used for fabrication of halide perovskite heterostructures and discuss the qualitative and quantitative diffusion studies performed using these platforms. We discuss the numerical methods used to validate and supplement the experimental halide diffusion kinetics. Finally, we highlight the need to conduct further research on the impact of device operating conditions, lattice structure, and vacancy concentration on halide diffusion. Through this Perspective, we aim to emphasize the need of developing a comprehensive understanding of halide diffusion in perovskites for their successful deployment in optoelectronics.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Investigating Morphology and Diffusion in Simulations of Precise Anion-Conducting Polymers

Using atomistic molecular dynamics simulations, we investigate the morphology and transport properties of a new class of polymers which are functionalized with quaternary ammonium groups for use as anion exchange membranes. The polymers are precision polyolefins with either a trimethylammonium (p5CNMe3) or a dimethyl-hexyl ammonium (p5CNMe2Hx) pendant group at every fifth carbon along a polyethylene backbone. Simulations are performed at hydration levels of 5, 10, 15, and 20 water molecules per ammonium group. The hydrated polymers form nanoscale, percolated hydrophilic domains (water channels) in the hydrophobic polymer matrix that become wider with increasing water content. Water and hydroxide anion diffusion coefficients also increase with increasing water content. The morphology of the water domains is similar in both polymers, while the diffusion coefficients are somewhat lower in p5CNMe2Hx at fixed water content. Furthermore, the diffusion coefficients in both polymers fall on the same curve as a function of the fractal dimension of the percolated water channels, which appears to be a useful scalar measure of the effects of the nanoscale morphology on water and hydroxide anion transport.

Anion exchange membrane↗
DOE OSTI2021

Bulk Diffusion of Cl through O Vacancies in α-Cr 2 O 3 : A Density Functional Theory Study

Many metals form passive oxides which are broken or weakened by anionic-induced degradation leading to material failure and anionic diffusion is an important step of this degradation process. The diffusion of anionic species through oxides involves a combination of diffusion along grain boundaries, cracks, and channels, as well as bulk diffusion via point defects which is the focus of this study. Using density functional theory, we study bulk diffusion of Cl through O vacancies in α -Cr 2 O 3 as a model system for passive metal oxides. Little is known about Cl diffusion and bonding characteristics, so we benchmark our work through comparison to numerous studies on O diffusion in α -Cr 2 O 3 to analyze similarities and differences between the O and Cl diffusion in the passivation and degradation process of α -Cr 2 O 3 respectively. Unlike O diffusion, the lowest diffusion barrier for Cl is cross-plane diffusion between two (0001) planes through a vacant cation site but the much shorter in-plane diffusion path within the same coordination polyhedron has 35% higher barrier. This work provides the basis for considering the contributions of Cl bulk-diffusion in the overall diffusion kinetics of Cl through α -Cr 2 O 3 .

Oware Sarfo, Kofi↗
DOE OSTI2024

Anion Selectivities in Zwitterion Grafted Nanopores: Effect of Zwitterion Architecture

The separation of ions of similar charge is a crucial challenge in many applications, from water treatment to precious metal recovery. Membranes with cross-linked zwitterionic amphiphilic copolymer (ZAC-X) selective layers, which feature self-assembled, zwitterion-lined nanodomains for permeation, offer unique permselectivity between monovalent anions (e.g. $\mathrm{Cl^-}$/$\mathrm{F^-}$). This has motivated studies on the mechanisms of transport and selectivity in this family of materials. In this study, we conducted molecular dynamics simulations of aqueous salt solutions within zwitterion-functionalized nanopores to elucidate the influence of dipole orientation of the ZI ligands on anion diffusivities, partitioning, and permeabilities. Here, our model compares systems with contrasting ZI organization: surface-cation-anion ($\mathrm{S\text{-}ZI^{+}\text{-}ZI^{-}}$, Motif A) and surface-anion-cation ($\mathrm{S\text{-}ZI^{-}\text{-}ZI^{+}}$, Motif B). Our results reveal that Motif A exhibits less pronounced ion pairing due to a spatial separation in the radial profiles of cations and anions. Motif B demonstrates prominent ion pairing for smaller anions owing to their overlap with cation distributions. Further, our potential of mean force profiles reveal that anion partitioning increases with anion size in both ligand motifs, whereas Motif B exhibits significantly higher partitioning selectivity towards larger anions compared to Motif A. Our results for ion diffusivities show that the self-diffusivities of both anions and cations are lower for Motif B compared to Motif A. Such trends in anion partitioning and diffusivities can be explained by differences in the interactions and steric hindrance experienced by the anionic species in Motifs A and B. Finally, our results for anion permselectivity, obtained by combining partitioning and diffusivity, indicate that partitioning trends dominate over diffusivity trends. Consequently, anion permeability increases with anion size, and ligand Motif B yields much higher permselectivity towards larger anions compared to ligand Motif A.

anions↗
DOE OSTI2023

The Sluggish Diffusion of Cations in CeO 2 Probed through Molecular Dynamics and Metadynamics Simulations

Cation diffusion in fluorite‐structured CeO 2 , though far slower than anion diffusion, is an important, high‐temperature process because it governs diverse fabrication and degradation phenomena. Herein, cation diffusion is studied by means of classical molecular dynamics and metadynamics simulations. Three different mechanisms are examined: migration involving an isolated cerium vacancy, migration involving a cerium vacancy in a defect associate with an oxygen vacancy, and migration involving a cation divacancy. For each mechanism, defect diffusion coefficients are calculated as a function of temperature, from which the respective activation enthalpy of defect migration is obtained. Through comparisons with experimental cation diffusion data (specifically, of the absolute magnitude of the cation diffusivity as well as its activation enthalpy), it is concluded that cation diffusion takes place predominantly neither by isolated vacancies nor by cation vacancy–oxygen vacancy associates but by cation divacancies.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2026

Using Density-Corrected DFT to Understand Density-Driven and Functional-Dependent Errors in Ab Initio Simulations of the Hydrated Electron

The hydrated electron, an excess electron in liquid water, plays a crucial role in a plethora of chemical processes, motivating extensive research efforts to characterize its structure, dynamics, and reactivity in solution. Recent theoretical approaches to understanding this intriguing object have involved ab initio simulations based on density functional theory (DFT). Although DFT allows for the study of hydrated electron reactivity and quantum mechanical behavior, it is well-known that anionic systems can suffer from significant density-driven errors (DDEs). Density-corrected DFT (DC-DFT) provides a framework to mitigate such errors; the method reduces DDEs by replacing the self-consistent (SC) density associated with a given density functional with the Hartree–Fock (HF) density. Since HF densities tend to be more localized than DFT SC densities, the DC-DFT scheme significantly improves errors in calculations where the SC density is spuriously delocalized. Here, we investigate how the use of density correction affects the calculated properties of the DFT-simulated (PBEh) hydrated electron, a particularly challenging diffuse anionic system to simulate. First, we analyze charge delocalization in a system consisting of a model octahedral hydrated electron water cluster (the so-called Kevan structure) along with a spatially separated sulfur atom. We show that the use of density correction indeed reduces DDEs in comparison to a standard DFT global hybrid functional. We then propagate molecular dynamics trajectories of the hydrated electron using DC-DFT, where we find that DC further localizes electron density in the cavity region, a signature of reduced charge delocalization. Unfortunately, the decreased radius of gyration of the spin density and corresponding tightening of the local solvation structure from density correction causes predicted observables to deviate further from experimental measurements than when density correction is not employed. Here, we argue that DC’s worse agreement with experiment results from the removal of a fortuitous cancellation of errors that is intrinsic to the PBEh functional. This indicates that the difficulties with DFT to simulate hydrated electrons are primarily due to the inherent approximations in DFT rather than to density-driven errors.

Density functional theory↗
DOE OSTI2021

Quantifying Species Populations in Multivalent Borohydride Electrolytes

Multivalent batteries represent an important beyond Li-ion energy storage concept. The prospect of calcium batteries, in particular, has emerged recently due to novel electrolyte demonstrations, especially that of a ground-breaking combination of the borohydride salt Ca(BH 4 ) 2 dissolved in tetrahydrofuran. Recent analysis of magnesium and calcium versions of this electrolyte led to the identification of divergent speciation pathways for Mg 2+ and Ca 2+ despite identical anions and solvents, owing to differences in cation size and attendant flexibility of coordination. To test these proposed speciation equilibria and develop a more quantitative understanding thereof, we have applied pulsed-field-gradient nuclear magnetic resonance and dielectric relaxation spectroscopy to study these electrolytes. Additionally, concentration-dependent variation in anion diffusivities and solution dipole relaxations, interpreted with the aid of molecular dynamics simulations, confirms these divergent Mg 2+ and Ca 2+ speciation pathways. These results provide a more quantitative description of the electroactive species populations. We find that these species are present in relatively small quantities, even in the highly active Ca(BH 4 ) 2 /tetrahydrofuran electrolyte. This finding helps interpret previous characterizations of metal deposition efficiency and morphology control and thus provides important fundamental insight into the dynamic properties of multivalent electrolytes for next-generation batteries.

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

Strengthening of Calcite Assemblages Through Chemical Complexation Reactions

Abstract Utilization of subsurface reservoirs, including fluid extraction/injection, can induce stress changes and modify in‐situ chemical equilibrium causing subcritical fracturing and deformation. Here, we show that chemical complexation reactions at the newly created fracture surfaces within the crack tip limit fracturing during consolidation of granular calcite assemblages. Previously, we showed that analogous chemical complexation reactions can increase in‐situ fracture toughness in pre‐fractured single crystal calcite. To test the chemical complexation effect under subsurface conditions, we consolidated samples under increasing hydrostatic pressure to induce widespread intergranular fracturing in the presence of fluid containing common anions. Measured consolidation, acoustic emissions, and microfracturing demonstrate that deformation correlates with complexation affinity for calcium in calcite and aqueous anions. We observed that deformation is lowest in the presence of strongly complexing anions (e.g., sulphate), provided sufficient anion diffusion rates. This understanding is important for predicting reservoir effective strength in the presence of complex aqueous fluids.

Choens, R. C.↗
DOE OSTI2021

Radiation-Enhanced Anion Transport in Hematite

The influence of radiation-induced (1 MeV energy H+ to ~0.1 dpa at 450°C), non-equilibrium point defect populations on mass transport is studied with an integrated campaign of experimental and theoretical methods. Using epitaxial thin films of hematite with embedded 18O tracer layers and nanoscale atom probe tomography measurements, it is shown that anion self-diffusion is enhanced by at least 2 orders of magnitude under irradiation compared to thermal diffusion alone. Complementary scanning transmission electron microscopy of vacuum annealed specimens, reveals associated microstructural changes in the oxide films, including local phase transformation to Fe3O4 and the development of nanoscale voids from vacancy coalescence. Point defect formation and migration energies were computed from density functional theory and applied within the context of chemical rate theory to analyze contributions from both interstitial and vacancy mechanisms to self-diffusion in thermal and irradiation conditions. Comparisons are made between calculated, literature and newly measured self-diffusion values, revealing good agreement on the magnitude of radiation-enhanced anion diffusion. Further, the model suggests a transition from vacancy to interstitialcy mechanisms at low temperatures and high oxygen activity, consistent with the varied activation energies reported from prior studies.

iron oxides, isotopic tracers, atom probe tomograp↗
DOE OSTI2023

The influence of counterion structure identity on conductivity, dynamical correlations, and ion transport mechanisms in polymerized ionic liquids

We used equilibrium and non-equilibrium atomistic simulations to probe the influence of anion chemistry on the true conductivity, dynamical correlations, and ion transport mechanisms in polymeric ionic liquids. An inverse correlation was found between anion self-diffusivities, ionic mobilities, and the anion size for spherical anions. While some larger asymmetric anions had higher diffusivities than smaller spherical anions, their diffusivities and mobilities did not exhibit a direct correlation to the anion volumes. Here, the conductivity and anion dynamical correlations also followed the same trends as displayed by the diffusivity and mobility of anions. All the systems we examined displayed positively correlated motion among anions, suggesting a contribution that enhances the conductivity beyond the ideal Nernst–Einstein value. Analysis of ion transport mechanisms demonstrated very similar hopping characteristics among the spherical anions despite differences in their sizes.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗