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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 37 records · Page 2

Electric Vehicle Preparedness Task 1: Assessment of Data and Survey Results for Joint Base Lewis McChord

The U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Defense signed a memorandum of understanding on July 22, 2010, for the purpose of strengthening the coordination of efforts to enhance national energy security and to demonstrate federal government leadership in transitioning America to a low-carbon economy. The memorandum of understanding included efforts in the areas of energy efficiency, fossil fuels, alternative fuels, efficient transportation technologies and fueling infrastructure, grid security, smart grid, and storage. In support of the memorandum of understanding, the Idaho National Laboratory, with funding provided by U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office and Federal Energy Management Program, directed ECOtality North America to conduct several U.S. Department of Defense base studies to identify potential U.S. Department of Defense transportation systems that are strong candidates for the introduction or expansion of electric drive vehicles.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Electric Vehicle Preparedness Task 2: Identification of Joint Base Lewis McChord Vehicles for Installation of Data Loggers

The U.S. Department of Energy and the U.S. Department of Defense signed a memorandum of understanding on July 22, 2010, for the purpose of strengthening the coordination of efforts to enhance national energy security and to demonstrate federal government leadership in transitioning America to a low-carbon economy. The memorandum of understanding included efforts in the areas of energy efficiency, fossil fuels, alternative fuels, efficient transportation technologies and fueling infrastructure, grid security, smart grid, and storage. In support of the memorandum of understanding, the Idaho National Laboratory, with funding provided by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Vehicle Technologies Office and Federal Energy Management Program, directed ECOtality North America to conduct several U.S. Department of Defense base studies to identify potential U.S. Department of Defense transportation systems that are strong candidates for introduction or expansion of electric drive vehicles.

99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS↗

Lewis base adducts of NpCl 4

NpCl 4 (MeCN) 4 (1), NpCl 4 (pyr) 4 (2), NpCl 4 ( t Bu Bipy) 2 (3) and NpCl 4 (OPPh 3 ) 2 (4) were isolated and fully characterized using spectroscopic and structural analyses.

Lopez, Lauren M.↗

Electric Vehicle Preparedness Task 3: Detailed Assessment of Target Electrification Vehicles at Joint Base Lewis McChord Utilization

Task 2 involved identifying daily operational characteristics of select vehicles and initiating data logging of vehicle movements in order to characterize the vehicle’s mission. Individual observations of these selected vehicles provide the basis for recommendations related to PEV adoption and whether a battery electric vehicle (BEV) or plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) (collectively PEVs) can fulfill the mission requirements and provides observations related to placement of PEV charging infrastructure. This report provides the results of the data analysis and observations related to the replacement of current vehicles with PEVs. This fulfills part of the Task 3 requirements. Task 3 also includes an assessment of charging infrastructure required to support this replacement. That is the subject of a separate report.

33 ADVANCED PROPULSION SYSTEMS↗

Perspective on Lewis Acid‐Base Interactions in Emerging Batteries

Lewis acid-base interactions are common in chemical processes presented in diverse applications, such as synthesis, catalysis, batteries, semiconductors, and solar cells. The Lewis acid-base interactions allow precise tuning of material properties from the molecular level to more aggregated and organized structures. This review will focus on the origin, development, and prospects of applying Lewis acid-base interactions for the materials design and mechanism understanding in the advancement of battery materials and chemistries. The covered topics relate to aqueous batteries, lithium-ion batteries, solid-state batteries, alkali metal-sulfur batteries, and alkali metal-oxygen batteries. In this review, the Lewis acid-base theories will be first introduced. Thereafter the application strategies for Lewis acid-base interactions in solid-state and liquid-based batteries will be introduced from the aspects of liquid electrolyte, solid polymer electrolyte, metal anodes, and high-capacity cathodes. The underlying mechanism is highlighted in regard to ion transport, electrochemical stability, mechanical property, reaction kinetics, dendrite growth, corrosion, and so on. Last but not least, perspectives on the future directions related to Lewis acid-base interactions for next-generation batteries are like to be shared.

Lewis acid-base interactions↗

Lewis acid–base pair doping of p-type organic semiconductors

Doping is required to increase the electrical conductivity of organic semiconductors for uses in electronic and energy conversion devices. The limited number of commonly used p-type dopants suggests that new dopants or doping mechanisms could improve the efficiency of doping and provide new means for processing doped polymers. Drawing on Lewis acid–base pair chemistry, we combined Lewis acid dopant B(C 6 F 5 ) 3 (BCF) with the weak Lewis base benzoyl peroxide (BPO). The detailed behavior of p-type doping of the model polymer poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) with this Lewis acid–base pair in solution was examined. Solution 19F-NMR spectra confirmed the formation of the expected counterion, as well as side products from reactions with solvent. BCF : BPO was also found to efficiently dope a range of semiconducting polymers with varying chemical structures demonstrating that the BCF : BPO combination has an effective electron affinity of at least 5.3 eV. In thin films of regioregular P3HT cast from the doped solutions, delocalized polarons formed due to the large counterions leading to a large polaron-counterion distance. At and above 0.2 eq. BCF : BPO doping, amorphous areas of the film became doped, disrupting the structural order of the films. Despite the change in structural order, thin films of regioregular P3HT doped with 0.2 eq. BCF : BPO had a conductivity of 25 S cm -1 . This study demonstrates the effectiveness of a two-component Lewis acid–base doping mechanism and suggests additional two-component Lewis acid–base chemistries should be explored.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Investigation of the Redox Chemistry of Anthraquinone Derivatives Using Density Functional Theory

Application of density functional calculations to compute electrochemical properties such as redox windows, effect of substitution by electron donating and electron withdrawing groups on redox windows, and solvation free energies for ~50 anthraquinone (AQ) derivatives are presented because of their potential as anolytes in all-organic redox flow batteries. Computations suggest that lithium ions can increase (by ~0.4 V) the reduction potential of anthraquinone due to the lithium ion pairing by forming a Lewis base-Lewis acid complex. To design new redox active species, the substitution by electron donating groups are essential to improve the reduction window of AQ with adequate oxidative stability. For instance, a complete methylation of AQ can improve its reduction window by ~0.4 V. The quantum chemical studies of the ~50 AQ derivatives are used to derive a relationship that connects the computed LUMO energy and the reduction potential that can be applied as a descriptor for screening thousands of AQ derivatives. Our computations also suggest that incorporating oxy-methyl dioxolane substituents in the AQ framework can increase its interaction with non-aqueous solvent and improve its solubility. Thermochemical calculations for likely bond breaking decomposition reactions of un-substituted AQ anions suggest that the dianions are relatively stable in the solution. These studies provide ideal platform to perform further combined experimental and theoretical studies to understand the electrochemical reversibility and solubility of new quinone molecules as energy storage materials.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Confinement of Lewis Acid–Base Sites by Microporous Silica Layers on Titania for Enhanced Alkanol Dehydration Reactivity

Alkanol dehydration offers a pathway to upgrade biomass-derived short-chain oxygenates into alkenes, essential chemical building blocks widely used in industrial applications. Transition metal oxides with Lewis acid-base site pairs are attractive catalysts due to their high reactivity and cost-effectiveness. This work demonstrates a synthetic pathway to manipulate local environments around active Lewis acid-base pairs in anatase TiO 2 to enhance their reactivity in alkanol dehydration. Microporous SiO 2 layers with an average pore diameter of ~0.6 nm and a controlled thickness of 0.8-33 nm are deposited on anatase TiO 2 powders by using a molecular templated SiO 2 deposition method. The Lewis acid-base strength of accessible Ti-O pairs remains unchanged, as shown by temperature-programmed surface reactions of surface-bound formic acid-derived species and temperature-programmed desorption of pyridine. However, measured alkanol dehydration rates on confined Ti-O pairs are much higher (by up to 7-fold) than those on TiO 2 . The extent of rate enhancements depends on the reactant size and functional group positioning, suggesting that the rate enhancements reflect the interactions between the guest molecules (reactants and transition states) and the surrounding SiO 2 micropore environments. By providing a detailed synthetic procedure to tailor the local environments around active sites in bulk oxides, this approach offers an additional avenue for enhancing catalytic performance.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗

Chlorine Gas as a Lewis Acid–Base Probe for Molten Salts of Divalent Metal Ions

In the context of energy applications for salts and, more specifically, in the case of molten salt reactors, the solvation of corrosion species, the nature and behavior of radiation-produced excess electrons, transient radicals, and molecular gas species all depend on the Lewis acid–base behavior of the constituent salt melt. Speciation of dissolved species and their transport properties are also influenced by the ability of the melt to form networks. This article focuses on the structural properties of melts composed of alkaline earth metal ions coupled with the Cl – anion, and the quantum mechanical behavior of Cl 2 , a typical product of the reaction of radiation-produced chlorine radicals in Cl – -based molten salts. We explore the effect of M 2+ Lewis acidity on chlorobasicity, seen in this work as the availability of Cl – ions to chemically react with Cl 2 to produce Cl 3 – .

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Unusual products arising from the tandem dehydrogenation of Mg(BH 4 ) 2 and pyrrolidine

The dehydrogenation of Mg(BH 4 ) 2 in the presence of O-Lewis base donors has been widely explored but there have been very few studies of dehydrogenation of the borohydride in the presence of N-Lewis bases. Mg(BH 4 ) 2 has been found to react with pyrrolidine at room temperature to form BH 3 -pyrrolidine adduct. Upon heating, further dehydrogenation reactions occur to form bis(pyrrolidino)borane, tris(pyrrolidino)borane and other B–N intermediates. Reacting Mg(BH 4 ) 2 and pyrrolidine in a 1 : 6 molar ratio exclusively yields tris(pyrrolidino)borane which is in accordance with predicted stoichiometric factors. The formation of these products contrasts with the routine production of higher boranes and/or intractable polymers from the dehydrogenation of Mg(BH 4 ) 2 in the presence O-Lewis bases. The amount of H 2 released in these reactions was determined both by the Parr autoclave pressure readings and the eudiometer measurements. Both measurements align with the values predicted by the stoichiometric factors associated by the proposed pathway.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

A Thermodynamic and Kenetic Study of the Heterolytic Activation of Hydrogen by Frustrated Borane-Amine Lewis Pairs

Calorimetry is used to measure the reaction enthalpies of hydrogen activation by 2,6-lutidine (Lut), 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine (TMP), N-methyl-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine (MeTMP) and tri-tert-butylphosphine (TBP) with tris(pentafluorophenyl)borane (BCF). At 6.6 bar H2 the conversion of the Lewis acid Lewis base pair to the corresponding ionic pair in bromobenzene at 294 K was quantitative in under 60 minutes. Integration of the heat release from the reaction of the Frustrated Lewis Pair (FLP) with hydrogen as a function of time yields a relative rate of hydrogenation in addition to the enthalpy of hydrogenation. The half-lives of hydrogenation range from 230 seconds with TMP, ΔHH2 = -31.5(0.2) kcal/mol, to 1400 seconds with Lut, ΔHH2 = -23.4(0.4) kcal/mol. The 11B NMR spectrum of B(C6F5)3 in bromobenzene exhibits three distinct traits depending on the sterics of the Lewis base; (i) in the presence of pyridine, only the dative bond adduct pyridine--B(C6F5)3 is observed, (ii) in the presence of TMP and MeTMP only the free B(C6F5)3 is observed, and (iii) in the presence of Lut both the free B(C6F5)3 and the Lut--B(C6F5)3 adduct appear in equilibrium. A measure of the change in Keq of Lut + B(C6F5)3 <->Lut--B(C6F5)3 as a function of temperature provides thermodynamic properties of the Lewis acid Lewis base adduct, ΔH = -17.9(1.0) kcal/mol and a ΔS = -49.2(2.5) cal/mol K, suggesting the Lut--B(C6F5)3 adduct is more stable in bromobenzene than in toluene. This research was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Basic Energy Sciences, Division of Chemical Sciences, Biosciences and Geosciences. D.M.C. and A.K. acknowledges support by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) to perform kinetic analyses of the calorimetry data. The work was performed in part at EMSL, a national scientific user facility sponsored by the DOE Office of Biological and Environmental Research. EMSL is located at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), which is operated by Battelle for DOE.

calorimetry↗

Identification and quantification of distinct active sites in Hf-Beta zeolites for transfer hydrogenation catalysis

Despite the significant progress made in characterizing different framework heteroatom sites that exist in Lewis acidic zeolites with probe molecule adsorption and spectroscopy, methods to reliably quantify site counts remain indefinite and have been primarily limited to Sn and Ti Lewis acid sites. Here, methods to quantify framework Lewis acidic Hf 4+ sites in zeolite Beta (Hf-Beta) with two Lewis base titrants (pyridine, deuterated acetonitrile) were developed using infrared (IR) spectroscopy. Lewis acid site counts for Hf-Beta zeolites were validated by measuring integrated molar extinction coefficients (IMECs; ε, cm μmol –1 ) on Sn-Beta zeolites using identical Lewis base titrants to benchmark site counts with established literature procedures to quantify Lewis acid sites in Beta zeolites from IR spectra. Highlighting the importance of benchmarking active site counts against well-established experimental protocols, IMECs of CD 3 CN bound to open (ε(Sn; 2316 cm –1 ): 1.80 ± 0.25) and closed (ε(Sn; 2308 cm –1 ): 3.76 ± 0.33) Sn sites were ~1.8x larger than those previously reported while total Lewis acid site counts agreed with those measured by pyridine (ε(Sn; 1451 cm –1 ): 1.58 ± 0.16) on six different Sn-Beta zeolites. IMECs measured for IR peaks reflecting pyridine bound to Lewis acidic Hf sites (ε(Hf; 1448 cm –1 ): 1.54 ± 0.21) and CD 3 CN bound to open (ε(Hf; 2313 cm –1 ): 2.40 ± 0.22) and closed (ε(Hf; 2307 cm –1 ): 3.55 ± 0.41) Hf sites, gave similar counts for the total number of Lewis acidic sites across six Hf-Beta zeolites (Si/Hf = 100–413). Consistent with previous reports with Sn-Beta catalysts where open Sn sites are responsible for catalytic turnover, apparent first and zero-order MPVO rate constants (0.01–1 M cyclohexanone in 2-butanol; per total Hf, 373 K) correlated with the total number of open Hf sites, per total Hf, but not with the total number of closed Hf sites or total Lewis acid site counts. Measured initial MPVO rates (0.1 M cyclohexanone in 2-butanol, per open Hf, 373 K) were ~25x higher on hydrophobic Hf-Beta-F than on hydrophilic Hf-Beta-OH zeolites. Overall, the apparent first-order MPVO rate constants (2-butanol solvent, per open Hf, 373 K) were ~6x higher on Hf-Beta-F than on Hf-Beta-OH zeolites. The characterization methods reported here enable normalization of MPVO turnover rates on Sn- and Hf-Beta zeolites by their number of open sites. Finally, this enables performing quantitative rate comparisons across Lewis acid zeolites of varying active site identity, solvation, and pore topology used in liquid-phase catalysis.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

Lewis Acid Doping Induced Synergistic Effects on Electronic and Morphological Structure for Donor and Acceptor in Polymer Solar Cells

Abstract Due to the attraction of optimizing the electronic structure beyond chemical synthesis, molecular doping has recently aroused wide interest in the field of organic solar cells. However, the selection of limited dopants confines its successful application. Inspired by the Lewis base characteristics of the photovoltaic materials, the Lewis acid as novel dopant is introduced in organic solar cells. In both fullerene and nonfullerene based blends, Lewis acid doping leads to increased photovoltaic performance. Detailed experiments reveal that Lewis acid doping has a synergistic effect on modifying the polymer's electronic properties and the acceptor's nanostructure even at low doping concentration, and these are simultaneously responsible for the device improvements. Based on the mechanism studies, it is proposed that the Lewis acid‐doped polymers anions produce induced dipole on the acceptor, this increases the intermolecular interaction and facilitates the morphology optimization. It is believed that the synergistic effect by Lewis acid doping greatly expands the application of doped organic solar cells, in concert with other existing methods to yield higher efficiency values.

Yan, Han↗