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DOE OSTI2017

Low-Temperature Pd/Zeolite Passive NO x Adsorbers: Structure, Performance, and Adsorption Chemistry

Pd/zeolite passive NOx adsorber (PNA) materials were prepared with solution ion-exchange between NH4/zeolites (Beta, ZSM-5 and SSZ-13) and PdCl2 solutions. The nature of Pd (dispersion, distribution and oxidation states) in these materials was characterized with Na+ ion-exchange, TEM imaging, CO titration with FTIR and in situ XPS. The NOx trapping and release properties were tested using feeds with different compositions. It is concluded that multiple Pd species coexist in these materials: atomically dispersed Pd in the cationic sites of zeolites, and PdO2 and PdO particles on the external surfaces. While Pd is largely atomically dispersed in ZSM-5, the small pore opening for SSZ-13 inhibits Pd diffusion such that the majority of Pd stays as external surface PdO2 clusters. NOx trapping and release are not simple chemisorption and desorption events, but involve rather complex chemical reactions. In the absence of CO in the feed, cationic Pd(II) sites with oxygen ligands and PdO2 clusters are reduced by NO to Pd(I) and PdO clusters. These reduced sites are the primary NO adsorption sites. In the presence of H2O, the as-formed NO2 desorb immediately. In the presence of CO in the feed, metallic Pd, “naked” Pd2+, and Pd+ sites are responsible for NO adsorption. For Pd adsorption sites with the same oxidation states but in different zeolite frameworks, NO binding energies are not expected to vary greatly. However, NO release temperatures do vary substantially with different zeolite structures. This indicates that NO transport within these materials play an important role in determining release temperatures. Finally, some rational design principles on efficient PNA materials are suggested. The authors gratefully acknowledge the US Department of Energy (DOE), Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Vehicle Technologies Office for the support of this work. The research described in this paper was performed in the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a national scientific user facility sponsored by the DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PNNL is operated for the US DOE by Battelle. Discussions with Drs. A. Yezerets, J.Y. Luo, K. Kamasamudram and N. Currier Cummins, Inc., and H.Y. Chen from Johnson-Matthey are greatly appreciated.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2015

The melting temperature of liquid water with the effective fragment potential

Direct simulation of the solid-liquid water interface with the effective fragment potential (EFP) via the constant enthalpy and pressure (NPH) ensemble was used to estimate the melting temperature (Tm) of ice-Ih. Initial configurations and velocities, taken from equilibrated constant pressure and temperature (NPT) simulations at T = 300 K, 350 K and 400 K, respectively, yielded corresponding Tm values of 378±16 K, 382±14 K and 384±15 K. These estimates are consistently higher than experiment, albeit to the same degree with previously reported estimates using density functional theory (DFT)-based Born-Oppenheimer simulations with the Becke-Lee-Yang-Parr functional plus dispersion corrections (BLYP-D). KRB was supported by a Computational Science Graduate Fellowship from the Department of Energy. MSG was supported by a U.S. National Science Foundation Software Infrastructure (SI2) grant (ACI – 1047772). SSX acknowledges support from the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a multiprogram national laboratory operated for DOE by Battelle.

Brorsen, Kurt R.↗

DOE OSTI2017

Molecular-Level Insight of the Effect of Hofmeister Anions on the Interfacial Surface Tension of a Model Protein

The effect of the Hofmeister anion series on the structure and stability of proteins is often discussed using simple systems such as a water-vapor interface with the assumption that the vapor region mimics the hydrophobic surface. Microscopic theories suggest that the Hofmeister anion series is highly correlated with the different contributions of the various ions to the surface tension of such a water-vapor interface. Proteins, however, have both hydrophobic and hydrophilic regions rather than just a pure hydrophobic one. Using a solvated parallel β -sheet layer consisting of both hydrophobic and positively charged hydrophilic surfaces as a more realistic model to represent a protein surface, we investigated the interaction of such a system with hydrophilic-like (SO42-) and hydrophobic-like (ClO4-) anions via Born-Oppenheimer Molecular Dynamics (BOMD) simulations. We found that both the SO42- and ClO4- anions prefer to reside on the hydrophilic rather than on the hydrophobic surface of the parallel β -sheet layer. In addition, our simulations suggest that the ClO4- ions not only penetrate towards the peptide groups through the hydrophilic residues, but also allow water molecules to penetrate as well to form water-peptide hydrogen bonds, while the SO42- ions stabilize the interface of the water-hydrophilic surface. Our results render a plausible explanation of why hydrophobic-like Hofmeister anions act as protein denaturants. This work was supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a multiprogram national laboratory operated for DOE by Battelle.

density functional theory↗

DOE OSTI2019

Many-Body Effects Determine the Local Hydration Structure of Cs+ in Solution

A systematic analysis of the hydration structure of Cs+ ions in solution is derived from simulations carried out using a series of molecular models built upon a hierarchy of approximate representations of many-body effects in ion-water interactions. It is found that a pairwise-additive model, commonly used in biomolecular simulations, provides poor agreement with experimental X-ray spectra, indicating an incorrect description of the underlying hydration structure. Although the agreement with experiment improves in simulations with a polarizable model, the predicted hydration structure is found to lack the correct sequence of water shells. Progressive inclusion of explicit many- body effects in the representation of Cs+-water interactions as well as account for nuclear quantum effects is shown to be necessary for quantitatively reproducing the experimental spectra. Besides emphasizing the importance of many-body effects, these results suggests that molecular models rigorously derived from many-body expansions hold promise for realistic simulations of aqueous solutions. Work by J.L.F. and G.K.S. was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a multiprogram national laboratory operated for DOE by Battelle.

Zhuang, Debbie↗

DOE OSTI2016

Iron loading effects in Fe/SSZ-13 NH3-SCR catalysts: nature of the Fe-ions and structure-function relationships

Using a traditional aqueous solution ion-exchange method under a protecting atmosphere of N2, a series of Fe/SSZ-13 catalysts with various Fe loadings were synthesized. UV-Vis, EPR and Mössbauer spectroscopies, coupled with temperature programmed reduction and desorption techniques, were used to probe the nature of the Fe sites. The major monomeric and dimeric Fe species are extra-framework [Fe(OH)2]+ and [HO-Fe-O-Fe-OH]2+. Larger oligomers with unknown nuclearity, poorly crystallized Fe2O3 particles, together with isolated Fe2+ ions, are minor Fe-containing moieties. Reaction rate and Fe loading correlations suggest that isolated Fe3+ ions are the active sites for standard SCR while the dimeric sites are the active centers for NO oxidation. NH3 oxidation, on the other hand, is catalyzed by sites with higher nuclearity. A low-temperature standard SCR reaction network is proposed that includes redox cycling of both monomeric and dimeric Fe species, for SCR and NO2 generation, respectively. The authors gratefully acknowledge the US Department of Energy (DOE), Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Vehicle Technologies Program for the support of this work. The research described in this paper was performed at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a national scientific user facility sponsored by the DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PNNL is operated for the US DOE by Battelle.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗

DOE OSTI2017

Transformation of Active Sites in Fe/SSZ-13 SCR Catalysts during Hydrothermal Aging: A Spectroscopic, Microscopic, and Kinetics Study

Fe/SSZ-13 catalysts (Si/Al = 12, Fe loadings 0.37% and 1.20%) were prepared via solution ion-exchange, and hydrothermally aged at 600, 700 and 800 C. The fresh and aged catalysts were characterized with surface area/pore volume analysis, Mössbauer, solid-state MAS NMR, NO titration FTIR spectroscopies, and TEM and APT imaging. Hydrothermal aging causes dealumination of the catalysts, and transformation of various Fe sites. The latter include conversion of free Fe2+ ions to dimeric Fe(III) species, the agglomeration of isolated Fe-ions to Fe-oxide clusters, and incorporation of Al into the Fe-oxide species. These changes result in complex influences on standard SCR and NO/NH3 oxidation reactions. In brief, mild aging causes catalyst performance enhancement for SCR, while harsh aging at 800 C deteriorates SCR performance. In comparison to Fe/zeolites more prone to hydrothermal degradation, this study demonstrates that via the utilization of highly hydrothermally stable Fe/SSZ-13 catalysts, more accurate correlations between various Fe species and their roles in SCR related chemistries can be made. The authors gratefully acknowledge the US Department of Energy (DOE), Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Vehicle Technologies Office for the support of this work. The research described in this paper was performed in the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a national scientific user facility sponsored by the DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PNNL is operated for the US DOE by Battelle.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗

DOE OSTI2017

Toward Rational Design of Cu/SSZ-13 Selective Catalytic Reduction Catalysts: Implications from Atomic-Level Understanding of Hydrothermal Stability

The hydrothermal stability of Cu/SSZ-13 SCR catalysts has been extensively studied, yet atomic level understanding of changes to the zeolite support and the Cu active sites during hydrothermal aging are still lacking. In this work, via the utilization of spectroscopic methods including solid-state 27Al and 29Si NMR, EPR, DRIFTS, and XPS, together with imaging and elemental mapping using STEM, detailed kinetic analyses, and theoretical calculations with DFT, various Cu species, including two types of isolated active sites and CuOx clusters, were precisely quantified for samples hydrothermally aged under varying conditions. This quantification convincingly confirms the exceptional hydrothermal stability of isolated Cu2+-2Z sites, and the gradual conversion of [Cu(OH)]+-Z to CuOx clusters with increasing aging severity. This stability difference is rationalized from the hydrolysis activation barrier difference between the two isolated sites via DFT. Discussions are provided on the nature of the CuOx clusters, and their possible detrimental roles on catalyst stability. Finally, a few rational design principles for Cu/SSZ-13 are derived rigorously from the atomic-level understanding of this catalyst obtained here. The authors gratefully acknowledge the US Department of Energy (DOE), Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Vehicle Technologies Office for the support of this work. Computing time was granted by a user proposal at the William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL) and by the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC). The experimental studies described in this paper were performed in the EMSL, a national scientific user facility sponsored by the DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PNNL is operated for the US DOE by Battelle.

Cu/SSZ-13↗

DOE OSTI2019

Using Transient FTIR Spectroscopy to Probe Active Sites and Reaction Intermediates for Selective Catalytic Reduction of NO on Cu/SSZ-13 Catalysts

A Cu/SSZ-13 catalyst containing predominately Z2Cu sites is prepared. Using diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS), two non-steady state measurements, (1) continuous NO titration of an NH3 saturated catalyst and (2) intermittent NO on/off during quasi-steady state (i.e., NO perturbation), are conducted to shed light on active sites, reaction intermediates, and possible reaction mechanisms. During continuous NO titration, a strong NH3 inhibition effect is found, where Cu active sites containing NH3 ligands are less active than Cu sites depleted of NH3 ligands. In the NO perturbation experiments, it is demonstrated that NO+NH3 interactions lead to formation of Brønsted acid sites, which further interact with NH3 to form NH4+. Such a finding is fully consistent with a redox SCR mechanism proposed recently (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2014, 53, 11828–11833). Perturbation measurements, using ND3 to replace NH3 in order to distinguish ammonia and nitrate vibrations, further show that NH4NO3 and other surface nitrates are not involved in the SCR process under typical low temperature quasi-steady state conditions. This work was financially supported by the national key research and development program of China (2017YFC0211302 and 2017YFC0211003), the Sino Japanese cooperation project (2016YFE0126600) and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2017M620800). FG and CHFP gratefully acknowledge financial support for their participation from the US Department of Energy (DOE), Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Vehicle Technologies Office. A portion of this work was performed in the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a national scientific user facility sponsored by the DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PNNL is operated for the US DOE by Battelle.

Cu, SSZ-13, SCR, DRIFTS, transient kinetics, mecha↗

DOE OSTI2013

Synthesis and Evaluation of Cu-SAPO-34 Catalysts for Ammonia Selective Catalytic Reduction. 1. Aqueous Solution Ion Exchange

SAPO-34 molecular sieves are synthesized using various structure directing agents (SDAs). Cu-SAPO-34 catalysts are prepared via aqueous solution ion exchange. Catalysts are characterized with surface area/pore volume measurements, temperature programmed reduction (TPR), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopies. Catalytic properties are examined using standard ammonia selective catalytic reduction (NH3-SCR) and ammonia oxidation reactions. During solution ion exchange, different SAPO-34 samples undergo different extent of structural damage via irreversible hydrolysis. Si content within the samples (i.e., Al-O-Si bond density) and framework stress are key factors that affect irreversible hydrolysis. Even using very dilute Cu acetate solutions, it is not possible to generate Cu-SAPO-34 samples with only isolated Cu2+ ions. Small amounts of CuOx species always coexist with isolated Cu2+ ions. Highly active and selective Cu-SAPO-34 catalysts for NH3-SCR are readily generated using this synthesis protocol, even for SAPO-34 samples that degrade substantially during solution ion exchange. High-temperature aging is found to improve the catalytic performance. This is likely due to reduction of intracrystalline mass-transfer limitations via formation of additional porosity in the highly defective SAPO-34 particles formed after ion exchange. The authors gratefully acknowledge the US Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Office of Vehicle Technologies for the support of this work. The research described in this paper was performed at the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a national scientific user facility sponsored by the DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PNNL is operated for the US DOE by Battelle Memorial Institute under contract number DE-AC05-76RL01830.

chabazite↗

DOE OSTI2014

Catalytic Oxidation of Alcohol via Nickel Phosphine Complexes with Pendant Amines

Nickel complexes were prepared with diphosphine ligands that contain pendant amines, and these complexes catalytically oxidize primary and secondary alcohols to their respective aldehydes and ketones. Kinetic and mechanistic studies of these prospective electrocatalysts were performed to understand what influences the catalytic activity. For the oxidation of diphenylmethanol, the catalytic rates were determined to be dependent on the concentration of both the catalyst and the alcohol. The catalytic rates were found to be independent of the concentration of base and oxidant. The incorporation of pendant amines to the phosphine ligand results in substantial increases in the rate of alcohol oxidation with more electron-donating substituents on the pendant amine exhibiting the fastest rates. We thank Dr. John C. Linehan, Dr. Elliott B. Hulley, Dr. Jonathan M. Darmon, and Dr. Elizabeth L. Tyson for helpful discussions. Research by CJW, PD, DLM, and AMA was supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences. Research by MLH was supported as part of the Center for Molecular Electrocatalysis, an Energy Frontier Research Center funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a multiprogram national laboratory operated for DOE by Battelle.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗

DOE OSTI2015

Ground and excited states of the [Fe(H2O)6]2+ and [Fe(H2O)6]3+ clusters: Insight into the electronic structure of the [Fe(H2O)6]2+ – [Fe(H2O)6]3+ complex

We report the ground and low lying electronically excited states of the [Fe(H2O)6]2+ and [Fe(H2O)6]3+ clusters using multi-configuration electronic structure theory. In particular, we have constructed the Potential Energy Curves (PECs) with respect to the iron-oxygen distance when removing all water ligands at the same time from the cluster minima and established their correlation to the long range dissociation channels. Due to the fact that both the second and third ionization potentials of iron are larger than the one for water, the ground state products asymptotically correlate with dissociation channels that are repulsive in nature at large separations as they contain at least one H2O+ fragment and a positive metal center. The most stable equilibrium structures emanate – via intersections and/or avoided crossings – from the channels consisting of the lowest electronic states of Fe2+(5D; 3d6) or Fe3+(6S; 3d5) and six neutral water molecules. Upon hydration, the ground state of Fe2+(H2O)6 is a triply (5Tg) degenerate one with the doubly (5Eg) degenerate state lying slightly higher in energy. Similarly, Fe3+(H2O)6 has a ground state of 6Ag symmetry under Th symmetry. We furthermore examine a multitude of electronically excited states of many possible spin multiplicities, and report the optimized geometries for several selected states. The PECs for those cases are characterized by a high density of states. Focusing on the ground and the first few excited states of the [Fe(H2O)6]2+ and [Fe(H2O)6]3+ clusters, we studied their mutual interaction in the gas phase. We obtained the optimal geometries of the Fe2+(H2O)6 – Fe3+(H2O)6 gas phase complex for different Fe–Fe distances. For distances shorter than 6.0 Å, the water molecules in the respective first solvation shells located between the two metal centers were found to interact via weak hydrogen bonds. We examined a total of ten electronic states for this complex, including those corresponding to the electron transfer (ET) from the ferrous to the ferric ion. The ET process is discussed and a possible path via a quasi-symmetric transition state is suggested. This work was supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a multiprogram national laboratory operated for DOE by Battelle. This research used resources of the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, which is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

Miliordos, Evangelos↗

DOE OSTI2015

Modeling the Kinetics of Deactivation of Catalysts during the Upgrading of Bio-Oil

The fouling of catalysts for the upgrading of bio-oils appears to be very different from the fouling of catalysts for the hydroprocessing of petroleum-derived streams. There are two reasons for the differences: a) bio-oil contains polarizable components and phases that can stabilize reaction intermediates exhibiting charge separation and b) bio-oil components contain functional groups that contain O, notably carbonyls (>C=O). Aldol condensation of carbonyls affords very different pathways for the production of oligomeric, refractory deposits than does dehydrogenation/polymerization of petroleum-derived hydrocarbons. Colloquially, we refer to the bio-oil derived deposits as “gunk” to discriminate them from coke, the carbonaceous deposits encountered in petroleum refining. Classical gelation, appears to be a suitable model for the “gunking” reaction. Our work has helped explain the temperature range at which bio-oil should be pre-processed (“stabilized”) to confer longer lifetimes on the catalysts used for more severe processing. Stochastic modeling (kinetic Monte Carlo simulations) appears suitable to capture the rates of oligomerization of bio-oil. This work was supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Bioenergy Technologies Office. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a multiprogram national laboratory operated for DOE by Battelle.

bio-oil upgrading↗

DOE OSTI2013

A Cobalt-based Catalyst for CO2 Hydrogenation Under Ambient Conditions

Due to the continually rising levels of CO2 in the atmosphere, research into conversion of CO2 into fuels using carbon-neutral energy is currently an important topic in catalysis. Recent research on molecular catalysts has led to improved rates of CO2 conversion to formate, but unfortunately the resulting catalysts are based on precious metals such as iridium, ruthenium and rhodium and require high temperatures and high pressures for catalytic reactivity. Using established thermodynamic properties, a cobalt-based catalyst system has been designed for the catalytic production of formate from CO2 and H2, even at room temperature and one atmosphere of pressure. Using Co(dmpe)2H (dmpe is bis(dimethylphosphino)ethane) as a catalyst in tetrahydrofuran, room temperature turnover frequencies of 3,400 h-1 at 1 atm of 1:1 CO2:H2 and 74,000 h-1 at 20 atm were obtained. These results highlight the value of basic thermodynamic properties in the rational design of catalysts. This work was supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a multiprogram national laboratory operated for DOE by Battelle.

abundant metals↗

DOE OSTI2014

Thermochemical Insight into the Reduction of CO to CH3OH with [Re(CO)]+ and [Mn(CO)]+ Complexes

To gain insight into thermodynamic barriers for reduction of CO into CH3OH, free energies for reduction of [CpRe(PPh3)(NO)(CO)]+ into CpRe(PPh3)(NO)(CH2OH) have been determined from experimental measurements. Using model complexes, the free energies for the transfer of H+, H–, and e– have been determined. A pKa of 10.6 was estimated for [CpRe(PPh3)(NO)(CHOH)]+ by measuring the pKa for the analogous [CpRe(PPh3)(NO)(CMeOH)]+. The hydride donor ability (ΔG°H–) of CpRe(PPh3)(NO)(CH2OH) was estimated to be 58.0 kcal mol–1, based on calorimetry measurements of the hydride transfer reaction between CpRe(PPh3)(NO)(CHO) and [CpRe(PPh3)(NO)(CHOMe)]+ to generate the methylated analog, CpRe(PPh3)(NO)(CH2OMe). Cyclic voltammograms recorded on CpRe(PPh3)(NO)(CMeO), CpRe(PPh3)(NO)(CH2OMe), and [CpRe(PPh3)(NO)(CHOMe)]+ displayed either a quasireversible oxidation (neutral species) or reduction (cationic species). These potentials were used as estimates for the oxidation of CpRe(PPh3)(NO)(CHO) or CpRe(PPh3)(NO)(CH2OH), or the reduction of [CpRe(PPh3)(NO)(CHOH)]+. Combination of the thermodynamic data permits construction of three-dimensional free energy landscapes under varying conditions of pH and PH2. The free energy for H2 addition (ΔG°H2) to [CpRe(PPh3)(NO)(CO)]+ (+15 kcal mol–1) was identified as the most significant thermodynamic impediment for the reduction of CO. DFT computations indicate that ΔG°H2 varies by only 4.3 kcal mol–1 across a series of [CpXRe(L)(NO)(CO)]+, while the experimental ΔG°H– values for the analogous series of CpRe(PPh3)(NO)(CHO) varies by 12.9 kcal mol–1. The small range of ΔG°H2 values is attributed to a minimal change in the C–O bond polarization upon modification of the ancillary ligands, as determined from the computed atomic charges. This work was supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a multiprogram national laboratory operated for DOE by Battelle.

carbon monoxide↗

DOE OSTI2016

Triphosphine-Ligated Copper Hydrides for CO 2 Hydrogenation: Structure, Reactivity, and Thermodynamic Studies

The copper(I) triphosphine complex LCu(MeCN)PF 6 (L = 1,1,1-tris(diphenylphosphinomethyl)ethane), which we recently demonstrated is an active catalyst precursor for hydrogenation of CO 2 to formate, reacts with H 2 in the presence of a base to form a cationic dicopper hydride, [(LCu) 2 H]PF 6 . [(LCu) 2 H] + is also an active precursor for catalytic CO 2 hydrogenation, with equivalent activity to that of LCu(MeCN) + , and therefore may be a relevant catalytic intermediate. In this study, the thermodynamic hydricity of [(LCu) 2 H] + was determined to be 41.0 kcal/mol by measuring the equilibrium constant for this reaction using three different bases. [(LCu) 2 H] + and the previously reported dimer (LCuH) 2 can be synthesized by the reaction of LCu(MeCN) + with 0.5 and 1 equiv of KB(O i Pr) 3 H, respectively. The solid-state structure of [(LCu) 2 H] + shows threefold symmetry about a linear Cu–H–Cu axis and significant steric strain imposed by bringing two LCu + units together around the small hydride ligand. [(LCu) 2 H] + reacts stoichiometrically with CO 2 to generate the formate complex LCuO 2 CH and the solvento complex LCu(MeCN) + . The rate of the stoichiometric reaction between [(LCu) 2 H] + and CO 2 is dramatically increased in the presence of bases that coordinate strongly to the copper center, e.g. DBU and TMG. In the absence of CO 2 , the addition of a large excess of DBU to [(LCu) 2 H] + results in an equilibrium that forms LCu(DBU) + and also presumably the mononuclear hydride LCuH, which is not directly observed. Due to the significantly enhanced CO 2 reactivity of [(LCu) 2 H] + under these catalytically relevant conditions, LCuH is proposed to be the catalytically active metal hydride.ted by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences, and Biosciences. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is a multiprogram national laboratory operated for DOE by Battelle.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2017

Selective Catalytic Reduction over Cu/SSZ-13: Linking Homo- and Heterogeneous Catalysis

Active centers in Cu/SSZ-13 selective catalytic reduction (SCR) catalysts have been recently identified as isolated Cu2+ and [CuII(OH)]+ ions. A redox reaction mechanism has also been established, where Cu-ions cycle between CuI and CuII oxidation states during SCR reaction. While the mechanism for the reduction half-cycle (CuII CuI) is reasonably well understood, that for the oxidation half-cycle (CuI CuII) remains an unsettled debate. Herein we report detailed reaction kinetics on low-temperature standard NH3-SCR, supplemented by DFT calculations, as strong evidence that the low-temperature oxidation half-cycle occurs with the participation of two isolated CuI ions, via formation of a transient [CuI(NH3)2]+-O2-[CuI(NH3)2]+ intermediate. The feasibility of this reaction mechanism is confirmed from DFT calculations, and the simulated energy barrier and rate constants are consistent with experimental findings. Significantly, the low-temperature standard SCR mechanism proposed here provides full consistency with low-temperature SCR kinetics. The authors gratefully acknowledge the US Department of Energy (DOE), Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Vehicle Technologies Office for the support of this work. The research described in this paper was performed in the Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL), a national scientific user facility sponsored by the DOE’s Office of Biological and Environmental Research and located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL). PNNL is operated for the US DOE by Battelle.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2014

Towards a unified picture of the water self-ions at the air-water interface: a density functional theory perspective

The propensities of the water self ions, H3O+ and OH- , for the air-water interface has implications for interfacial acid-base chemistry. Despite numerous experimental and computational studies, no consensus has been reached on the question of whether or not H3O+ and/or OH- prefer to be at the water surface or in the bulk. Here we report a molecular dynamics simulation study of the bulk vs. interfacial behavior of H3O+ and OH- that employs forces derived from density functional theory with a generalized gradient approximation exchangecorrelation functional (specifically, BLYP) and empirical dispersion corrections. We computed the potential of mean force (PMF) for H3O+ as a function of the position of the ion in a 215-molecule water slab. The PMF is flat, suggesting that H3O+ has equal propensity for the air-water interface and the bulk. We compare the PMF for H3O+ to our previously computed PMF for OH- adsorption, which contains a shallow minimum at the interface, and we explore how differences in solvation of each ion at the interface vs. the bulk are connected with interfacial propensity. We find that the solvation shell of H3O+ is only slightly dependent on its position in the water slab, while OH- partially desolvates as it approaches the interface, and we examine how this difference in solvation behavior is manifested in the electronic structure and chemistry of the two ions. DJT was supported by National Science Foundation grant CHE-0909227. CJM was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy‘s (DOE) Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is operated for the Department of Energy by Battelle. The potential of mean force required resources of the Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, which is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DEAC05-00OR22725. The remaining simulations and analysis used resources of the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center, which is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231. at at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. MDB is grateful for the support of the Linus Pauling Distinguished Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at PNNL.

Baer, Marcel D.↗

DOE OSTI2012

Electrochemical Surface Potential due to Classical Point Charge Models Drives Anion Adsorption to the Air-Water Interface

Herein, we present research that suggests that the underlying physics that drive simple empirical models of anions (e.g. point charge, no polarization) to the air-water interface, with water described by SPC/E, or related partial charge models is different than when both ions and water are modeled with quantum mechanical based interactions. Specifically, we will show that the driving force of ions to the air-water interface for point charge models results from both cavitation and the negative electrochemical surface potential. We will demonstrate that we can fully characterize the role of the free energy due to the electrochemical surface potential computed from simple empirical models and its role in ionic adsorption within the context of dielectric continuum theory (DCT). Our research suggests that a significant part of the electrochemical surface potential in empirical models appears to be an artifact of the failure of point charge models in the vicinity of a broken symmetry. This work was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy‘s (DOE) Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Geosciences and Biosciences. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) is operated for the Department of Energy by Battelle.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗