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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 307 records · Page 17
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2023

Relationships between Water’s Structure and Solute Affinity at Polypeptoid Brush Surfaces

Excellent antifouling surfaces are generally thought to create a tightly bound layer of water that resists solute adsorption, and highly hydrophilic surfaces such as those with zwitterionic functionalities are of significant current interest as antifoulant strategies. Furthermore, despite significant proofs-of-concept, we still lack a fundamental understanding of how the nanoscopic structure of this hydration layer translates to reduced fouling, how surface chemistry can be tuned to achieve antifouling through hydration water, and why, in particular, zwitterionic surfaces seem so promising. Here, we use molecular dynamics simulations and free energy calculations to investigate the molecular relationships among surface chemistry, hydration water structure, and surface–solute affinity across a variety of surface-decorated chemistries. Specifically, we consider polypeptoid-decorated surfaces that display well-known experimental antifouling capabilities and that can be synthesized sequence specifically, with precise backbone positioning of, e.g., charged groups. Through simulations, we calculate the affinities of a range of small solutes to polypeptoid brush surfaces of varied side-chain chemistries. We then demonstrate that measures of the structure of surface hydration water in response to a particular surface chemistry signal solute–surface affinity; specifically, we find that zwitterionic chemistries produce solute–surface repulsion through highly coordinated hydration water while suppressing tetrahedral structuring around the solute, in contrast to uncharged surfaces that show solute–surface affinity. Based on the relationship of this structural perturbation to the affinity of small-molecule solutes, we propose a molecular mechanism by which zwitterionic surface chemistries enhance solute repulsion, with broader implications for the design of antifouling surfaces.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2025

Anionic Surfactants from Reactive Separation of Hydrocarbons Derived from Polyethylene Upcycling

Chemical upcycling of polyethylene (PE) to long-chain alkylaromatics through tandem hydrocracking/aromatization has potential to provide value-added chemicals. However, the liquid product is a complex mixture of alkanes, alkylbenzenes, and polyaromatics, limiting its direct usability. The most valuable component of the product mixture is the alkylbenzenes because of their potential as precursors to anionic surfactants. In this study, a one-pot reactive separation is described. Sulfonating the product mixture from PE upcycling with silica sulfuric acid followed by neutralization with sodium hydroxide yields sodium alkylbenzenesulfonates (up to 93 mol % selectivity), along with a separate phase of lubricant-range hydrocarbons as a coproduct. Compared to petroleum-based sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonates, the reported PE-derived surfactant molecules show competitive physicochemical properties, including surface tension and interfacial tension. According to life cycle assessment, the described reaction strategy demonstrates 20% lower greenhouse gas emissions, when considering uses for the coproducts of PE upcycling, compared to conventional linear alkylbenzenesulfonates (LAS) manufacturing directly from petrochemical feedstocks.

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

Probing High-Pressure Structural Evolution in Polyurea with In Situ Energy-Dispersive X-ray Diffraction and Molecular Dynamics Simulations

Polyurea, an elastomer with a phase-segregated microstructure, has been proven as an effective coating in defense applications. To gain a more complete understanding of the high-pressure atomic-level morphology of these phases and to validate molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, multi-angle energy-dispersive X-ray diffraction experiments were performed in situ up to pressures of ~6 GPa at room temperature. Structure factors were obtained and compared to MD simulations with an average error of less than 5% between major peak positions. The first sharp diffraction peak shifted from 4.56 Å to lower d-spacing with pressure, indicating compression between hard segments. This was further supported by the behavior of a peak at ~3.86 Å from the pair distribution function (PDF), suspected to represent π-stacking and separation between soft segments. Compression within the hard segments themselves is minimal as low-r peaks in the PDF are not greatly affected by pressure.

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

Internal Microstructure Dictates Interactions of Polymer-grafted Nanoparticles in Solution

Understanding the effects of polymer brush architecture on particle interactions in solution is requisite to enable the development of functional materials based on self-assembled polymer-grafted nanoparticles (GNPs). Static and dynamic light scattering of polystyrene-grafted silica particle solutions in toluene reveals that the pair interaction potential, inferred from the second virial coefficient, A 2 , is strongly affected by the grafting density, σ, and degree of polymerization, N, of tethered chains. In the limit of intermediate σ (~0.3 to 0.6 nm -2 ) and high N, A 2 is positive and increases with N. This confirms the good solvent conditions and can be qualitatively rationalized on the basis of a pair interaction potential derived for grafted (brush) particles. In contrast, for high σ > 0.6 nm -2 and low N, A 2 displays an unexpected reversal to negative values, thus indicating poor solvent conditions. These findings are rationalized by means of a simple analysis based on a coarse-grained brush potential, which balances the attractive core-core interactions and the excluded volume interactions imparted by the polymer grafts. The results suggest that the steric crowding of polymer ligands in dense GNP systems may fundamentally alter the interactions between brush particles in solution and highlight the crucial role of architecture (internal microstructure) on the behavior of hybrid materials. The effect of grafting density also illustrates the opportunity to tailor the physical properties of hybrid materials by altering geometry (or architecture) rather than a variation of the chemical composition.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2021

Solvent Processing and Ionic Liquid-Enabled Long-Range Vertical Ordering in Block Copolymer Films with Enhanced Film Stability

Rapid and reliable processing methods for forming ordered block copolymer (BCP) materials with low defect density in a thin film geometry are required for many nanotechnology applications. Vertically aligned BCP structures, in particular, have applications ranging from nanolithography for electronics and photonics to nanoporous membranes for water remediation and novel batteries for flexible electronics. However, the attainment of nearly complete vertical orientational order of the BCP ordered phase remains challenging. Solvent-based techniques, such as direct immersion annealing (DIA) and solvent vapor annealing (SVA), have immense potential for these applications of BCP films, as it allows for tuning of their thermodynamic, structural, and chain mobility driven kinetic properties. We first demonstrate that DIA, using a judicious choice of binary solvent mixtures along with a relatively hydrophobic ionic liquid (IL), induces the rapid vertical ordering in polystyrene-b-polymethylmethacrylate (PS-PMMA) block copolymer in lamellar films. The IL establishes synergy to the binary solvent mixture of toluene and heptane to 1 create a near-neutral solvent environment for attaining the vertical microstructure of the BCP. Next, we show that IL can suppress the de-wetting of the PS-PMMA films to achieve long-range order using SVA in cylindrical films for long annealing times. Both vertical and horizontal morphology is attained in these films by selecting different solvent environments. Furthermore, attaining enhanced vertical and horizontal BCP structure with long-range defect-free order by tuning solvent quality and using additives like IL can render them useful for many nanotech applications.

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

Nondestructive Photo-Cross-Linking of Microphase-Separated Diblock Polymers through Coumarin Dimerization

The effect of long-wavelength ultraviolet photocrosslinking on microphase-separated coumarin-containing block polymers was studied by photo-rheometry and small-angle X-ray scattering. This model system consisted of three photocrosslinkable diblock polymers of poly(methoxyethyl acrylate)-b-poly(hexyl methacrylate-co-coumarin methacrylate) with different volume fractions of the crosslinkable coumarin-containing block, which microphase separated into lamellar and cylindrical morphologies. All polymers stiffened upon exposure to 365 nm light, with much greater relative increases in moduli recorded for lamellae-forming polymers (ca. 3200% increase) compared to the cylinder-forming polymer (ca. 550% increase). Disordering transitions that were evident in uncrosslinked samples were no longer observed after crosslinking in the ordered state, and domain sizes were found to remain stable to heating. The photocrosslinking reaction only proceeded under active irradiation, indicating a high degree of spatiotemporal control over curing in this system. Finally, at constant concentration of couamarin within the crosslinkable block, the cure rate was largely independent of polymer composition, suggesting a constant local concentration of coumarin moieties within the segregated crosslinkable domains. Lastly, these findings establish a set of specific structure-property relationships governing the phase-selective photocrosslinking of diblock polymers that can guide the design of robust nanostructured materials.

32 ENERGY CONSERVATION, CONSUMPTION, AND UTILIZATI↗
DOE OSTI2023

2-Aminoanthracene Crystallization in Its Compatible Polystyrene Block: RAFT Synthesis and Enhanced Charge Retention in Pentacene Transistor Gate Dielectrics

We synthesized polystyrene-block-polyanthrylaminomethylstyrene (PS-b-PAAS) via RAFT reaction and side chain modification where the PAAS block is 50%. By blending 2-aminoanthracene (2AA) with PS-b-PAAS, the co-aggregation behavior of the PAAS block and 2AA within the thin film was observed by optical microscopy (OM) and x-ray diffraction. At 5 and 10 wt% of 2AA within the thin film, OM results showed a clear morphological difference between PS matrix and PS-b-PAAS matrix. Differences in the 2AA excited state lifetime in these matrices were also established using transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS). Blends were used as gate dielectrics in pentacene transistors. We compared characteristic voltage (Vc, an indicator of threshold voltage) before and after charging of PS-b-PAAS blended with unsubstituted PS and both polymers individually blended with 2AA. For blended PS-b-PAAS and PS, as the concentration of PS-b-PAAS increases, the decreased Vc especially with negative charging of the pentacene indicated a larger concentration of charge carriers induced by the dielectric film. The charging experiments also revealed that the unique structure formed by the 2AA/PS-b-PAAS blend significantly affected the charge storage capability of the organic field-effect transistors (OFET). Furthermore, this work demonstrates the novel co-aggregation structure in the dielectrics, and furthermore its impact on charge storage capability in pentacene OFETs.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗
DOE OSTI2024

Renewable and Biodegradable Polyurethane Foams with Aliphatic Diisocyanates

The transition to renewable plastics will require the development of substitutes with existing industrial standards and manufacturing processes. Polyurethanes (PU), versatile plastics, are traditionally dominated by aromatic diisocyanates, which are challenging to derive from renewable sources. However, for higher biocontent, it is crucial to utilize aliphatic diisocyanates, which can be sourced from renewable plant or algae waste streams. Historically, PU foams relied on aromatic diisocyanates for essential hard segments, resulting in desired physical properties. Here, we report the generation of high-performance renewable and biodegradable PU foams utilizing aliphatic diisocyanates and aromatic polyols, translating hard segments into the polyester polyol component using biosourced furan dicarboxylic acid (FDCA) monomers. We demonstrate that an FDCA-based PU is suitable for foams with performance characteristics that meet commercial tolerances and can biodegrade under backyard compost conditions. Here, this demonstrates steps toward redesigning traditional petrochemical-based polymers to accommodate new biological monomers.

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

Molecular Alignment of a Meta-Aramid on Carbon Nanotubes by In Situ Interfacial Polymerization

Molecularly organized nanocomposites of polymers and carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have great promise as high-performance materials; in particular, conformal deposition of polymers can control interfacial properties for mechanical load transfer, electrical or thermal transport, or electro/chemical transduction. However, controllability of polymer-CNT interaction remains a challenge with common processing methods that combine CNTs and polymers in melt or in solution, often leading to nonuniform polymer distribution and CNT aggregation. In this work, we demonstrate CNTs within net-shape sheets can be controllably coated with a conformal coating of meta-aramid by simultaneous capillary infiltration and interfacial polymerization. We determine that π-interaction between the polymer and CNTs results in chain alignment parallel to the CNT outer wall. Subsequent nucleation and growth of the precipitated aramid forms a smooth continuous layered sheath around the CNTs. These findings motivate future investigation of mechanical properties of the resulting composites, and adaptation of the in situ polymerization method to other substrates.

77 NANOSCIENCE AND NANOTECHNOLOGY↗
DOE OSTI2025

Toward Computation-Guided Design of Tunable Organic-Inorganic CdS Quantum Dot Binary Superlattices

Combining the advantages of structural programmability in sequence-defined biomimetic molecules and the controllable packing geometry in nanoparticle superlattices, we demonstrate a self-assembled organic-inorganic superlattice whose structure can be altered with the slightest change in the sequence of the organic counterpart. Here, oleate-coated CdS quantum dots (QDs) form a square-packed superlattice with a 1:1 molar equivalence of a di-block amphiphilic peptoid (Nbrpe6Dig) in chloroform. In contrast, no apparent structure is observed in the organic solvent alone. Based on theoretical evidence, we show that the assembly is a binary superlattice where both the CdS QDs and the peptoids serve as building blocks and further predict a correlation between the superlattice structure and the peptoid sequence. The computationally guided prediction is validated by experiments where superlattice transformation is observed with modified peptoids. The mechanism identified in our work inspires new ways to control and tune organic-inorganic hybrid nanomaterial self-assembly.

Qi, Xin↗
DOE OSTI2025

Single-Molecule Conductance through Hybrid Radially and Linearly π-Conjugated Macromolecules Reveals an Unusual Intramolecular π-Interaction

We describe the design, synthesis, and single-molecule junction conductance of π-electron molecules bearing both radial and linear π-conjugation pathways, whereby cycloparaphenylene (CPP) radial cores are π-extended linearly with aryl alkyne substituents as models for previously reported CPP-arylene ethynylene conjugated polymers. Although radially and linearly conjugated molecules have been studied previously in isolation as junction-bridging molecular electronic units, this is the first study to examine molecules where both topologies are operative. Our results reveal that the presence of radial CPP components within the junction-spanning pathway leads to a reduction in the conductance of the backbone compared to model linear phenyl substituents. Through tight-binding and DFT-based calculations, we attribute this conductance change to intramolecular van der Waals (vdW) interactions between the CPP ring and the junction-spanning arylene-ethynylene molecular backbone. These interactions induce changes in the dihedral angles of the backbone, leading to a reduced overlap of π orbitals within the molecular junction.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Rhodium-Catalyzed Alkenylation of Arenes with Multi-Substituted Olefins: Comparison of Selectivity and Reaction Rate as a Function of Olefin Identity

Rhodium-catalyzed arene alkenylation using Cu(II) carboxylates as the in situ oxidant and mono-substituted olefins has been previously reported (e.g., J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2019, 139, 5474; J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2018, 140, 17007; Organometallics 2019, 38, 3860; J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2020, 142, 10534). Herein, studies are extended to multi-substituted olefins with the goal of evaluating the effect of olefin substitution pattern and substituent identity on selectivity and turnover frequency. The influence of olefin substitution is probed by comparing the conversion of benzene to alkenyl arenes with ethylene, propylene, 1-butene, cis-2-butene, trans-2-butene, isobutene, 2-methyl-2-butene, and tetramethylethylene as well as the phenyl-substituted olefins and isomers of propenylbenzene. The rate of oxidative hydrophenylation for multi-substituted olefins follows the trend monosubstituted > disubstituted > trisubstituted, and tetrasubstituted olefins are unreactive. To probe the effect of substituent size on Markovnikov/ anti-Markovnikov regioselectivity, cyclohexyl, tert-butyl, isopropyl, ethyl, and methyl substituted α-olefins are compared. Selectivity for anti-Markovnikov products generally increases as substituent steric bulk is increased. Tolerance for some functionalized olefins is demonstrated. Here, the ortho/meta/para regioselectivity with mono-substituted arenes reveals that arene and olefin identity influences selectivity. Further mechanistic studies provide evidence for Curtin–Hammet control of ortho/meta/para regioselectivity with monosubstituted arenes.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Reactivity and Mechanisms of Methane, Ethane, and Benzene C–H Amination with an Iodine(III) Bistriflimide Complex

The iodine(III) bistriflamide complex (C 6 F 5 ) III I(NTf 2 ) 2 in HNTf 2 (bistriflimide acid; (CF 3 SO 2 ) 2 NH) selectively aminates methane and ethane. At a 100 °C reaction with methane after 3 h, it resulted in the exclusive formation of MeNTf 2 with a yield of approximately 40%. For ethane, at 100 °C in 2 h, a > 80% yield was found for a combination of monofunctionalized and difunctionalized amination products. In contrast to alkanes giving functionalized products, the reaction of (C 6 F 5 ) III I(NTf 2 ) 2 with benzene resulted in being stalled at (C 6 F 5 )I III (Ph)(NTf 2 ) with a <5% conversion to PhNTf 2 even at 120 °C. PWPB95-D3(BJ) density functional theory calculations indicate that C–H activation is the lowest energy pathway to break the hydrocarbon bonds and is lower in energy than radical, electron-transfer, proton-coupled electron-transfer, or hydride substitution pathways. For methane, from the (C 6 F 5 )I III (CH 3 )(NTf 2 ) intermediate, there is a one-step amine functionalization mechanism that avoids a carbocation intermediate. For ethane, from the (C 6 F 5 )I III (Et)(NTf 2 ) intermediate, dynamics simulations suggest the possibility of a competitive two-step functionalization pathway that involves a short-lived carbocation intermediate. As a result, a reaction coordinate strain analysis provides a straightforward model for understanding the relative reactivity rates for alkyl versus aryl functionalization.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2023

Ring-Opening in the Actinide Cyclopropyl Complexes [Cp 3 U(2,2-Diphenylcyclopropyl)] n – ( n = 0, 1)

The reaction of [Cp 3 UCl] with in situ generated 1-lithium-2,2-dipenylcyclopropane results in the formation of [Cp 3 U(2,2-diphenylcyclopropyl)] (1) in good yield. Reduction of 1 with KC 8 , in the presence of 2.2.2-cryptand, results in the formation of a rare U(III) alkyl complex, [K(2.2.2-cryptand)][Cp 3 U(2,2-diphenylcyclopropyl)] (2). Thermolysis or photolysis of 1 for 10 d in toluene results in isomerization to the U(IV) η 1 -allyl complex, [Cp 3 U(η 1 -3,3-diphenylallyl)] (3). Moreover, photolysis of 2 in THF for 9 h at room temperature results in isomerization to the U(III) η 1 -allyl complex, [K(2,2,2-cryptand)][Cp 3 U(η 1 -3,3-diphenylallyl)] (4). Both 3 and 4 were fully characterized. Additionally, selective labeling of the C α positions of 1 and 2 with deuterium revealed that cyclopropyl ring-opening occurs via distal C–C bond cleavage via a hypothesized η 3 -allyl intermediate.

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

M IV /Co –I (M = Zr, Hf) Bis(phosphinoamide) Complexes with η 6 - and η 4 -Arenes

Despite their relevance to catalysis, low-/subvalent cobalt complexes are difficult to synthesize and isolate. Consequently, very few “cobaltate” complexes are known and there is a lack of architectural diversity in this field. Lewis acidic d 0 group IV metals have been demonstrated to stabilize Co –I centers via metal–metal bonds. Herein, we report the synthesis of bis(phosphinoamide) heterobimetallic M IV /Co –I arene complexes (M = Zr, Hf). The driving force to maintain the aromaticity of the arenes dictates the hapticity of the Co-bound arene ligands and influences the binding arrangement of the phosphinoamide ligands. Benzene and toluene were observed to bind η 6 to the Co –I center, forcing dissociation of one of the phosphinoamide ligands, whereas η 4 -coordination of anthracene allows both phosphinoamide ligands to remain bound to the Co center. The identity of both the arene and the group IV metal ion starkly influence the lability of the arene. For instance, the Co-bound benzene ligand in the Zr IV /Co –I benzene complex rapidly exchanges with C 6 D 6 in solution, whereas toluene/C 6 D 6 exchange is much slower and appreciable C 6 H 6 /C 6 D 6 exchange is not observed for the Hf analogue. The Zr IV /Co –I benzene complex loses benzene upon repeated exposure to vacuum to form an arene-free tetrametallic dimer.

aromatic compounds↗